1. Manuel Esquivel attended St John's College and later earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physics at Loyola University New Orleans; he subsequently pursued a postgraduate certificate in physics education at Bristol University, England.
20 Facts About Manuel Esquivel
1. 2.
Manuel Esquivel was elected to the Belize City Council for two terms, and served as UDP chairman from 1976 to 1982.
3.
Manuel Esquivel was defeated by the incumbent Premier of Belize George Cadle Price, leader of the People's United Party.
4.
Manuel Esquivel was then appointed a minority member of the Belize Senate.
5.
Manuel Esquivel defeated Philip Goldson for the open UDP leadership post in January 1983, becoming the first and thus far only politician to be elected leader of a major Belizean political party as a senator.
6.
Manuel Esquivel was elected in December 1984 to the House of Representatives from the newly formed constituency of Caribbean Shores in Belize City, becoming prime minister for the first time shortly thereafter.
7.
Manuel Esquivel held the seat until the 1998 election, in which he was defeated by the PUP's Jose Coye.
8.
Manuel Esquivel began moving the economy of Belize away from his predecessor's mixed economy model, encouraging foreign direct investment and the growth of tourism.
9.
Manuel Esquivel's government suspended pay raises from 1995 to 1997, but transferred 450,000 shares of Belize Telecommunications to a trust for the affected workers.
10.
Manuel Esquivel was appointed Chairman of the Central Bank of Belize on 18 January 2011.
11.
Manuel Esquivel stepped down as Chairman in September 2013, and resigned from the Cabinet in March 2014.
12.
Manuel Esquivel continued to provide opinions on public issues after retiring.
13.
Manuel Esquivel published an editorial in the Amandala newspaper supporting the 2019 Belizean territorial dispute referendum.
14.
Manuel Esquivel met his future wife, Kathleen Levy, while he was studying in Bristol.
15.
Manuel Esquivel was a passenger in vehicle rollovers in 1996 and 2009 on the Western Highway.
16.
Kathleen, Lady Manuel Esquivel, wrote a biography of Manuel Esquivel entitled Still Waters, which was published in 2021.
17.
Manuel Esquivel died on 10 February 2022, at the age of 81.
18.
Manuel Esquivel was appointed to the Privy Council of the United Kingdom by Queen Elizabeth II in 1986.
19.
Manuel Esquivel held an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Loyola University.
20.
Manuel Esquivel was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in the 2010 New Year Honours.