Rudranath Capildeo Letters

Collection

Identifier: SC41

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection comprises twenty-eight (28) letters, fifteen (15) of which were written by Capildeo himself while he was a lecturer at University College, London. Capildeo wrote thirteen of these letters to Alloy Lequay, then secretary of the DLP. Vernon Jamadar and Thomas Bleasdell, DLP parliamentarians, were the other two recipients. The letters lend an insight into Capildeo as politician. They reveal his difficult and ultimately unsuccessful attempts to lead the party from faraway Britain. The letters also depict Capildeo as scholar: his delight when his work was published and the struggle to balance academia and politics. Most of the letters to Capildeo were written by Lequay, who expressed his disapproval of Capildeo's refusal to stay in Trinidad and Tobago.

Dates

Creation: 1966

Biographical / Historical

Dr. Rudranath Capildeo, mathematician, lawyer and politician, rose to prominence when he became political leader of the Democratic Labour Party in 1960. He was seen by the party hierarchy as someone who had the intellectual ability and status to match Dr. Eric Williams of the People's National Movement. He was, however, basically an academic and chose to remain as a lecturer at The University of London, managing the party as an absentee political leader. He lost his seat in the 1967 elections, was removed as leader of the party and died shortly after (1970) in London.

Extent

0.25 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The collection was in the possession of Mr Alloy Lequay, Chairman of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board. He donated it to The University of the West Indies Library in May 2001.