Order of the National Hero (Belize)
| Order of the National Hero | |
|---|---|
| Type | Order |
| Awarded for | "Extraordinary and outstanding achievement and merit in service to Belize or to humanity at large." |
| Presented by | Belize |
| Status | Currently constituted |
| Established | 16 August 1991 |
| First award | 2000 |
| Final award | 2009 |
| Total | 2 |
| Total recipients | 2 |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | None |
| Next (lower) | Order of Belize |
The Order of the National Hero is the highest honour awarded by the government of Belize.[1] As stipulated by the National Honours and Awards Act, 1991, instituted on 16 August 1991, it is bestowed for "extraordinary and outstanding achievement and merit in service to Belize or to humanity at large."[2] It can be awarded posthumously.[3] The act was revised in 2000.[3]
The act states that the name of the recipient is to published in the Belize Government Gazette.[3] The award is generally bestowed on Belize's Independence Day, 21 September, but can be conferred at other times.[4]
There have been two recipients: George Cadle Price (1919–2011), in September 2000; and Philip Goldson (1923–2001), posthumously in September 2008.[1]
Price co-founded the People's United Party (PUP) in 1950 and became its leader in 1956. He served the British in what was then British Honduras, as a member of the Legislative Council, mayor of Belize City (1956–1962), First Minister from 1961 and Premier from 1964. He is considered "one of the principal architects of that country's independence" and, as the head of the government prior to independence, served as Belize's first prime minister.[1]
Goldson was a newspaper editor, politician and a founding member of both of Belize's current major political parties, the People's United Party (established on 29 September 1950) and the United Democratic Party (established on 27 September 1973), as well as the now-defunct National Independence Party (NIP).[5] He served as Party Secretary upon NIP's inception in 1957, then as its leader from 1961 to 1974.[6]
References
- 1 2 3 "Belizean National Heroes". Belize National Library Service and Information System. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
- ↑ National Honors and Awards Act, 1991. Belize Government Gazette. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 "National Honours and Awards Act Chapter 162" (PDF). The Substantive Laws of Belize Revised Edition 2000. Government Printer. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 February 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2011.
- ↑ "Tribute to Belizean Patriots 2023 (Press Release)" (PDF). Government of Belize. 14 September 2023. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
- ↑ "Phillip Goldson Will Be Named National Hero". 7 News Belize. 3 September 2008. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
- ↑ "Reflecting on the Philip Goldson legacy – 1923-2001". Amandala. 21 October 2010. Retrieved 29 May 2026.