Sir Roland "Pop" Symonette, 1st Premier of the Bahamas

Sir Roland "Pop" Symonette was a famed Bahamian politician who was the first Premier of the Bahamas and the leader of a family informally known as the First Family of the Bahamas due to its extensive involvement in the business, political, social, and athletic communities of the nation.

Early Life

Symonette was born at The Current, Eleuthera on December 16, 1898. His father, Edwin Symonette, was a Methodist minister. His mother, Lavania Weech, died of either meningitis or yellow fever in Key West, Florida while Symonette was an infant.

Although Symonette would later become one of the wealthiest men of his generation and a strong advocate for education, he was not well-educated himself. His formal education ended after only six years, not uncommon for Bahamians of his time. He was, however, an autodidact who taught himself extensively about a wide variety of subjects.

Early Career

Symonette was a school teacher early in his career, but -- like many Bahamians -- switched to illegal rum-running during the Prohibition period in the United States. With the large profits he made from rum-running, Symonette invested in real estate, liquor stores, and finally a shipyard.

Political opponents have argued that Symonette made more that $210 million from smuggling rum into the United States during the Prohibition era. The Symonette family's holdings from this and subsequent enterprises have never been publicly confirmed, but public speculation has placed it between $700 million and $2.5 billion USD.

Political Career

In 1925, Symonette campaigned successfully for a seat in the Bahamian House of Assembly. He was elected and served in the House, representing the Shirlea district, without interruption until his retirement in 1977. Symonette's 52 years as a Member of Parliament is the longest record of service in the House of Assembly.

Symonette served as the Head of Government of the Bahama Islands from 1955 to 1964. In 1959, Symonette was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. In 1964, when the country achieved internal self-government, he became the first Premier of the Bahama Islands, holding the position until 1967. After the Bahamas achieved full independence in 1973, Symonette was chosen for the $50 bill in recognition of his political service and his generosity towards Bahamian charities.

Family Life

Symonette was married three times. By his first wife Nellie, Symonette had one son, Basil Harcourt Symonette. By his second wife, Thelma Bell Clepper of Andalusia, Alabama, he had his son Robert "Bobby" and his daughter Zelda. In the late 1940s, Symonette married Canadian Margaret Frances, later Lady Symonette. This third marriage produced one daughter, Margaret, who died in infancy, and two sons, Roland Craig and Brent.

Like their father, Symonette's children have been successful in Bahamian life. Bobby served formerly as Speaker of the House of Assembly and was a five-time Olympian in sailing who served as President of the Bahamas Olympic Association from 1957 to 1972. Brent Symonette is the current Deputy Prime Minister of The Bahamas for the Free National Movement party and the country's Minister of Foreign Affairs, as well as a former Attorney General, Minister of Tourism, and Chairman of the Airport Authority.

Death & Commemoration

Sir Roland Symonette died on March 13, 1980 at his estate, Green Roots, in Nassau. He was suffering from pancreatic cancer at the time. Lady Symonette died twenty-four years later, in 2004.

In addition to his portrait appearing on the Bahamian $50 dollar note, Symonette has been remembered in many ways in the Bahamas. The community park in the settlement of The Current, Eleuthera, Bahamas -- just feet away from where Symonette was born -- was named and commemorated in his Honor on what would have been his 111th birthday on December 16, 2009. A Methodist summer camp he built for Bahamian youth in 1978 on Eleuthera has been named Camp Symonette in his honor. "Heart's Ease," one of his vacation homes, located at Governors Harbour on Eleuthera, is available for private rentals.

Resources

• Craton, Michael. A History of the Bahamas. 3rd ed. Nassau: Media Enterprises Ltd., 1983.
• Craton, Michael, and Gail Saunders. From the Ending of Slavery to the Twenty-First Century. Vol. 1 of Islanders in the Stream: A History of the Bahamian People. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1999.
• Johnson, Howard. The Bahamas in Slavery and Freedom. Kingston, Jamaica: Ian Randle Publishers, 1991.

Some text incorporated from Wikipedia.