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Rudolph Burke in Black History
Michael Burke
Thursday, February 02, 2012
Today marks 40 years since the death of Rudolph Burke of Llandewey, St Thomas, a black Jamaican who lived between 1899 and 1972. He was a member of the Independence constitution committee in 1962, a former cabinet minister and a former president of the Jamaica Agricultural Society. He was also on the board of Jamaica Welfare, founded by Norman Manley with the help of the United Fruit Company in 1937 to establish rural development.
As JAS president, Rudolph Burke was instrumental in ensuring that small farmers got a share of the economic returns for farm produce sold locally and abroad, and the small farmers saw him as their hero. This was his main contribution to Jamaica, something that might be taken for granted today. Previously, most of the profit from exported agricultural produce went mainly to the large estate owners.
In those days, agricultural produce was Jamaica's economic mainstay. Jamaica Welfare and the JAS were instrumental in starting many agricultural co-operatives. In a real way this was how Blue Mountain Coffee became world-famous. Rudolph Burke was part of several negotiating teams which went overseas in the 1940s, 50s and 60s to get markets for Jamaican produce. Burke was instrumental in developing Jamaica's mango trade. More important, he was credited for establishing the annual Denbigh Show in Clarendon.
Rudolph Burke was Norman Manley's candidate for governor general but he never held that post because the People's National Party lost the April 10, 1962 general election. The Jamaica Labour Party won in 1962 and Sir Alexander Bustamante, who became Jamaica's first prime minister in political independence, recommended Sir Clifford Campbell to be Jamaica's second governor general. He was the first Jamaican to hold the post.
In this golden jubilee year of Jamaica's political independence, it is important to recall the settings before political independence that made it possible in the first place. One has to recall the intense nationalism that started in Jamaica around 1935 and peaked in 1938. There were several dynamics earlier than the 1930s that brought this about. One person who had great impact in all of this was definitely Marcus Mosiah Garvey, especially in the 1920s and early 1930s.
While Garvey was not able to make any changes, "he certainly sowed seeds" as Michael Manley wrote in his book, Struggle in the periphery. When Garvey founded his People's Political Party and ran in 1929, one person he approached to be a candidate was Rudolph Burke. Garvey went to Llandewey in St Thomas, sat on Burke's verandah and asked him to join. However, at that time Burke was not interested in national politics. Burke was always proud of his African heritage and was never a "roast-breadfruit".
One of the books in his bookcase when he died was The Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey.
Rudolph Burke's father, Charles Simeon Burke, was the first very black Jamaican to own several acres of land. Charles Burke could afford to send his very black son Rudolph to Jamaica College at a time when his peers at the school would have been either brown or white-skinned. He excelled in sports and was captain of JC's track, cricket and football teams in 1916.
Rudolph Burke was only 18 when his father died. He took over the management of the property at Llandewey in St Thomas. At the age of 21, he was elected to the St Thomas parochial board (later called "parish council) and served for 30 years and also served as chairman. By 1961 Evon Blake's Newday magazine hailed Rudolph Burke as Jamaica's leading citizen and wrote of his being on 46 agricultural boards.
Rudolph Burke was a foundation member of the People's National Party. In those days the members of the JAS obeyed their president and for the most part did whatever he thought best. This meant that the majority of the JAS members supported the PNP. The first PNP group in rural Jamaica was in Llandewey, St Thomas, and was established by Rudolph Burke.
However, Burke could not counter the Bustamante charisma, and when he ran for the West Thomas seat in the House of Representatives in 1944, he was defeated by the JLP's Jehoida McPherson, who because Jamaica's first minister of education. In those days the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union had the support of all sugar cane workers. It was this solid BITU support of Serge Island sugar workers for the JLP that caused Burke's defeat. Burke did not run for the House again.
Although overtures were made to Rudolph Burke to join the Farmers Party (which featured in the 1955 general election) to swing the JAS behind that party, Burke remained with the PNP and thousands of JAS members followed Burke in voting for the PNP in 1955 when they won power for the first time. Some say that this was why he was rewarded with a Cabinet post but I can neither confirm nor deny that. To answer your unspoken question, Rudolph Burke was my grandfather.
ekrubm765@yahoo.com
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/colum...#ixzz1lE0YalzQ
Michael Burke
Thursday, February 02, 2012
Today marks 40 years since the death of Rudolph Burke of Llandewey, St Thomas, a black Jamaican who lived between 1899 and 1972. He was a member of the Independence constitution committee in 1962, a former cabinet minister and a former president of the Jamaica Agricultural Society. He was also on the board of Jamaica Welfare, founded by Norman Manley with the help of the United Fruit Company in 1937 to establish rural development.
As JAS president, Rudolph Burke was instrumental in ensuring that small farmers got a share of the economic returns for farm produce sold locally and abroad, and the small farmers saw him as their hero. This was his main contribution to Jamaica, something that might be taken for granted today. Previously, most of the profit from exported agricultural produce went mainly to the large estate owners.
In those days, agricultural produce was Jamaica's economic mainstay. Jamaica Welfare and the JAS were instrumental in starting many agricultural co-operatives. In a real way this was how Blue Mountain Coffee became world-famous. Rudolph Burke was part of several negotiating teams which went overseas in the 1940s, 50s and 60s to get markets for Jamaican produce. Burke was instrumental in developing Jamaica's mango trade. More important, he was credited for establishing the annual Denbigh Show in Clarendon.
Rudolph Burke was Norman Manley's candidate for governor general but he never held that post because the People's National Party lost the April 10, 1962 general election. The Jamaica Labour Party won in 1962 and Sir Alexander Bustamante, who became Jamaica's first prime minister in political independence, recommended Sir Clifford Campbell to be Jamaica's second governor general. He was the first Jamaican to hold the post.
In this golden jubilee year of Jamaica's political independence, it is important to recall the settings before political independence that made it possible in the first place. One has to recall the intense nationalism that started in Jamaica around 1935 and peaked in 1938. There were several dynamics earlier than the 1930s that brought this about. One person who had great impact in all of this was definitely Marcus Mosiah Garvey, especially in the 1920s and early 1930s.
While Garvey was not able to make any changes, "he certainly sowed seeds" as Michael Manley wrote in his book, Struggle in the periphery. When Garvey founded his People's Political Party and ran in 1929, one person he approached to be a candidate was Rudolph Burke. Garvey went to Llandewey in St Thomas, sat on Burke's verandah and asked him to join. However, at that time Burke was not interested in national politics. Burke was always proud of his African heritage and was never a "roast-breadfruit".
One of the books in his bookcase when he died was The Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey.
Rudolph Burke's father, Charles Simeon Burke, was the first very black Jamaican to own several acres of land. Charles Burke could afford to send his very black son Rudolph to Jamaica College at a time when his peers at the school would have been either brown or white-skinned. He excelled in sports and was captain of JC's track, cricket and football teams in 1916.
Rudolph Burke was only 18 when his father died. He took over the management of the property at Llandewey in St Thomas. At the age of 21, he was elected to the St Thomas parochial board (later called "parish council) and served for 30 years and also served as chairman. By 1961 Evon Blake's Newday magazine hailed Rudolph Burke as Jamaica's leading citizen and wrote of his being on 46 agricultural boards.
Rudolph Burke was a foundation member of the People's National Party. In those days the members of the JAS obeyed their president and for the most part did whatever he thought best. This meant that the majority of the JAS members supported the PNP. The first PNP group in rural Jamaica was in Llandewey, St Thomas, and was established by Rudolph Burke.
However, Burke could not counter the Bustamante charisma, and when he ran for the West Thomas seat in the House of Representatives in 1944, he was defeated by the JLP's Jehoida McPherson, who because Jamaica's first minister of education. In those days the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union had the support of all sugar cane workers. It was this solid BITU support of Serge Island sugar workers for the JLP that caused Burke's defeat. Burke did not run for the House again.
Although overtures were made to Rudolph Burke to join the Farmers Party (which featured in the 1955 general election) to swing the JAS behind that party, Burke remained with the PNP and thousands of JAS members followed Burke in voting for the PNP in 1955 when they won power for the first time. Some say that this was why he was rewarded with a Cabinet post but I can neither confirm nor deny that. To answer your unspoken question, Rudolph Burke was my grandfather.
ekrubm765@yahoo.com
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/colum...#ixzz1lE0YalzQ
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