Picture of george william gordon
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More than a decade earlier, George William Gordon, a founding director of the Jamaica Mutual Life Assurance Society, had proven his monumental honesty and compassionate concern for the needy when he filed a legal injunction preventing his fellow directors from winding up the company and thus avoiding paying death benefits resulting from the calamitous cholera epidemic of the 1850s.That superb public example of sincerity and integrity would be difficult to equal, let alone surpass.
Gordon House – icon of Jamaica’s democracy
Amid the bustle of downtown Kingston stands the heart of Jamaican democracy, Gordon House.
He was a very quick learner and so after a year of living with his godfather, he got a chance to work with him in his business. Nevertheless, George William Gordon, an avowed Christian, gave massive help to his father and family. It was a time of great hardships and injustice which resulted in a series of protests, culminating in the 1865 Morant Bay rebellion.
Having heard that, he took himself in to Governor Eyre. Let’s write a story worthy of the giants who came before us.
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1. The daughters would not fraternise with their mulatto half-brother. Gordon was then arrested and charged for complicity in what is now called the Morant Bay Rebellion in 1865.
He went to live with his godfather, James Daly from Black River, at the age of ten. He was the second (2nd) of eight (8) children.
George had no formal schooling, he was self-educated. He then went on to become a business man and a landowner in the parish of St. Thomas. But the protests proved a turning point in the nations history.
The arches of this monument designed by H.
T. Repole are symbolic of ten fingers and the finish of the arches has been roughened to symbolize hands that toiled during slavery. Yet, beneath its architectural grandeur lies a profound legacy, one that echoes the relentless pursuit of justice and equality.
Named after the indomitable George William Gordon, a towering figure in Jamaica’s history, Gordon House stands as a testament to his unwavering commitment to the emancipation of his people.
Icon of the Decades: George William Gordon (1850s)
Louis Marriott, Contributor
IN ABOUT 1820, a black female slave on the Cherry Garden Estate in St Andrew gave birth to a son of her white Scottish slave owner, Joseph Gordon, a lawyer who had come to Jamaica to look after the business of a number of absentee landlords and had himself become, over time, a very significant landowner, a member of Jamaica's legislative Assembly and custos of St Andrew.
He had married a white woman and sired three 'legitimate' white children by her; first a girl and then female twins. It was named the George William Gordon House, often just called, "Gordon House".
In his land dealings he often favoured them by subdividing parcels of his idle land and selling or leasing to them at discounted prices. He never adopted the title of Reverend, but ordained a considerable number of deacons, including Paul Bogle. He was also attorney to several sugar estates in Jamaica.
In the face of attempts to crush the spirit of the freed people of Jamaica and again reduce them to slavery, George Gordon entered politics.
His martyrdom serves as a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made in the struggle for justice and freedom.
Gordon House emerges as more than just a physical structure; it embodies the aspirations and triumphs of generations past, present, and future. Let us harness the spirit of unity and resilience that has defined our nation for centuries, forging a future where justice and equality reign supreme.
In the hallowed halls of Gordon House, where history meets today, let us embark on a journey of reflection and renewal.
Joseph Gordon had fallen on hard times.