James Ronald Webster Day
James Ronald Webster Day is a holiday observed annually on March 2nd in Anguilla. However, this date can change if the holiday falls on a weekend instead of a weekday. If that happens, the holiday will be observed on the following Monday. This allows the citizens of Anguilla to have a day off work since it is a public holiday.
Anguilla (Public holiday)This day commemorates the birth of James Ronald Webster—a person known as the Father of Anguilla, who was born on March 2, 1926. Webster served as the island’s Chief Minister from February 1976 to February 1977 and then again from May 1980 to March 1984.
The History of James Ronald Webster Day
James Webster was one of eight children born to his parents who survived infancy—out of a total of sixteen children. Until the age of 27, he worked on a dairy farm factory in Saint Martin.
He was treated as their son, and their entire estate was left to him. He then returned to Anguilla in 1960 and noticed that the island was falling behind other developed nations. There was no electricity or telephones, and many of the streets were unpaved.
Determined to do something about this disparity, he contacted Robert Bradshaw in Saint Kitts and proposed funding the development of a power plant in Anguilla, as well as some road improvements. He was granted a license to operate a power plant, but Bradshaw wouldn’t meet with him, and his visits achieved nothing.
Webster became resentful of this treatment, which is why he decided to play a leading role in the Anguillan Revolution—a revolution that would dissolve the Federation of St. Kitts, Nevis, and Anguilla.
Observing James Ronald Webster Day
Because this is a public holiday, government offices, businesses, and schools are closed on this day. This allows the citizenry to attend official speeches and tributes to Webster on this day.
Anguilla (Public holiday)
