Sir William Alexander Clarke Bustamante (February 24, 1884 - August 6, 1977) was a conservative Jamaican politician and labor leader. He was born William Alexander Clarke but took the name Bustamante from an Iberian sea captain who befriended him in his youth.
After travelling the world and making his fortune in the United States he returned to Jamaica in 1932 and became a leader of the struggle against colonial rule.
He was imprisoned for subversive activities in 1940 however the anti-colonial effort resulted in the granting of responsible government to Jamaica. Upon his release, in 1943, he founded the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union and the Jamaican Labour Party which won 22 of 32 seats in the colonial assembly making Bustamante the colony's first Premier from 1944 to 1954.
He opposed the creation of the Federation of the West Indies and agitated for Jamaica's status as an independent state.
Jamaica was granted independence in 1962 and Bustamante served as the independent country's first Prime Minister until 1967. His cousin, Norman Manley, founded the JLP's chief rival, the People's National Party.
External link
- Sir Alexander Bustamante biography