Roland Theodore Symonette

Sir Roland Theodore Symonette, NH (16 December 1898 – 13 March 1980) was a Bahamian politician and the first Premier of the Bahamas after self-government was achieved in 1964. He was leader of the United Bahamian Party (UBP), which was the ruling party between 1958 and 1967.

Early life and education
Roland "Pop" Symonette was one of nine children of Methodist minister Edwin Lofthouse Symonette and his wife Lavania Alethia (née Weech) on the small island settlement of Current, Eleuthera.

Although he had only six years of formal education, he became one of the wealthiest men of his generation.

Career
He was a school teacher early in his career. Later he tried to make his way as a fisherman and a tomato farmer in Riviera Beach, Florida, and then during Prohibition, Symonette transported whiskey to the United States.

During prohibition, liquor was legal in the Bahamas but not in the United States. Bahamian citizens could legally buy and transport alcohol as long as they stayed outside US territorial waters. Symonette was among the most successful of Bahamian bootleggers. With the profits from bootlegging, Symonette invested in real estate, hotels, and a shipyard which built boats for the British Navy during WWII.

Politics
In 1925, Symonette campaigned successfully for a seat in the Bahamas' House of Assembly. He served in the House, representing the Shirlea district until his retirement in 1977. His 53 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 and, in 1964, when the country achieved internal self-government, he became the first Premier of the Bahama Islands. In 1959, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. After the 1967 elections, Symonette was appointed leader of the opposition in the House of Assembly of Bahamas.

Personal life
Symonette was married three times. He and his first wife Gertrude Nellie had one son, Basil. He and his second wife, the former Thelma Bell Clepper of Andalusia, Alabama, had a son, Robert "Bobby" and a daughter, Zelda. In the late 1940s, Symonette married Canadian Margaret Frances. They had one daughter, Margaret, who died of encephalitis when she was a toddler, and two sons, Roland and Brent.

Symonette's son Basil founded the Bitter End Resort in the BVI's. His second son Bobby served as Speaker of the House of Assembly and his youngest son Brent Symonette later became the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Minister of Financial Services, Trade & Industry and Immigration.

Death and legacy
Symonette died on 13 March 1980 at his home in Nassau. He was survived by wife, Lady Margaret Symonette three sons, and one daughter.

A community park in the settlement of Current, Eleuthera, Bahamas was named for him, a stone's throw from his birthplace, on what would have been his 111th birthday on 16 December 2009.

Symonette's portrait appears on the Bahamian $50 note. In 2018, he was posthumously awarded the Bahamian Order of National Hero (NH).