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Wendell Mottley
Wendell Adrian Mottley ORTT (born 2 July 1941) is a Trinidad and Tobago economist, politician and athlete.[1] Mottley served as Senator and member of the House of Representatives with the Trinidad and Tobago Parliament and was Minister of Finance from 1991 to 1995.[2] He was an Ivy League sprinter, winning two Olympic medals in 1964.[3] Early life and educationMottley was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. He was the youngest of four brothers who were all runners.[3] As a youngster, he began to run in competitions sponsored local oil companies.[4] He attended Queen's Royal College, an elite public high school in Port of Spain.[3] While competing in a high school track meet, the coach from Loughborough University suggested that Mottley would be of interest to his friend who coached track at Yale University.[4] Mottley attended Yale University, graduating in economics in 1964.[3] While at Yale, he made the dean's list, was captain of the track team, and joined St. Anthony Hall.[5][3][4] He was the first person of colour to join St. Anthony Hall, nationwide.[6] He earned a master's degree in economics from St Catharine's College at the University of Cambridge.[5] While at Cambridge, Mottley was captain of the track team and became lifelong friends with the Oxford team's captain, later the novelist Jeffrey Archer.[3][7] AthleticsMottley was a sprinter for Yale University track team.[3] His coach was Bob Giegengack, also the track coach for Team USA in the 1964 Summer Olympics.[4] In addition to sprinting, Giegengack had Mottley run cross country, "which he hated".[4] Mottley participated in three Heptagonal Games Championships between 1962 and 1964, winning the 440y each year.[3] In the mid-1960s, Mottley was the fastest man in Yale University and Ivy League history.[3] He still is the record holder in the 500m/600y at Yale.[3] Mottley also set indoor world records for the 400-yard, 500-yard, and 600-yard distances in 1964.[3] His personal best time of 45.2 stands as the Ivy League record for the 440y/400 meter event.[3] One writer notes, "In his time he was not only the best long sprinter in the Ivy League but also one of the best in the world."[3] In 1964, Mottley set indoor world records for the 400-yard, 500-yard, and 600-yard distances.[3] At the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Mottley won a silver medal for the 400 meters and a bronze medal for the 4 x 400 meters relay, representing Trinidad and Tobago.[8][1] After the race where he won the silver medal, Mottley says Giegengack gave him a salute.[4] After the Olympics, Mottley ran track for Cambridge University and competed in the European circuit.[3] He also took two gold medals at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Jamaica, winning in the 440 yards and the 4×440 yards relay events.[5][9] The relay team set the Commonwealth Games record for the 4x440y.[3] CareerPoliticsMottley was elected as Senator to the Trinidad and Tobago 2nd Republican Parliament from 1981 to 1986, and was appointed Minister of Housing and Resettlement from 1981 to 1985.[5][10] He was then appointed Minister of Industry and Commerce, serving from 1985 to 1986.[10] As a member of the People's National Party, he was elected to the House of Representatives for the 4th Republication Parliament, from 1992 to 1995.[5][2][10] From 1992 to 1994, he was Minister of Finance.[10] He was responsible for the flotation of the Trinidad and Tobago dollar.[11] He also founded the Civilian Conservation Corps in Trinidad and Tobago.[12] He was Minister of Tourism from 1994 to 1995.[10] In the early 2000s, Mottley was the leader of the Citizens' Alliance, a dissolved minor political party in Trinidad and Tobago.[13] His party received 5,955 votes (1%) and captured no seats in the 2002 general election.[14] CareerAfter Cambridge, Mottley worked in London, before returning to Trinidad and Tobago, where he developed a career in housing development.[3][7] In 1996, Mottley became an investment banker at Credit Suisse in New York, serving as managing director and senior advisor over the course of fifteen years.[15][9][16] Mottley was a visiting fellow at the Center for Global Development, a United States–based think tank, where he contributed Trinidad and Tobago--industrial policy 1959–2008 : a Historical and Contemporary Analysis in 2008.[17] Later, he was chairman of the board of the Unit Trust Corporation, the Caribbean's largest mutual fund company.[5][9] He served on the board of the Pan-American Life Insurance Group from 2013 to his retirement in 2021, [9][16] when he reached the board's mandatory retirement age of 80.[16] AffiliationsMottley served on the board of World Wildlife Fund and the Asa Wright Bird Foundation, a Caribbean environmentalist group.[3] He is also a member of the Yale School of Forestry leadership council.[3] HonoursOn 1 November 2018, Mottley received the Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (ORTT) for his contribution to national development and public service.[18][9] References
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