GREAT BAY--The son and grandson of the late Dr. Albert Claudius “Claude” Wathey appeared on radio with Lady Grace this week to promote Friday’s centennial celebration marking what would have been his 100th birthday, while using the occasion to reflect on his role in shaping modern St. Maarten.
"The Ole Man" son Norman Wathey and grandson Jason Lista said that, were he alive today, Wathey would likely be impatient with slow decision-making and unnecessary bureaucracy, but they did not believe he would simply complain about the problems facing the country.
They said his instinct would have been to search for a practical solution, bring the right people together and act with determination. His leadership, they explained, was rooted in the belief that government should respond to people’s needs and that progress required vision, courage and a willingness to make decisions.
The family said Wathey had a strong ability to anticipate where St. Maarten needed to go, often seeing opportunities and risks before they were widely understood. They described that foresight as both a gift and a burden, because he could sometimes see problems developing long before others recognized them.
They also recalled that Wathey strongly disliked bureaucracy, particularly when rules and procedures prevented government from responding to urgent human needs.
One of the stories shared during the interview concerned a schooner carrying students from Saba that ran aground after encountering rough seas near St. Maarten. Wathey, who was still a young man at the time, reportedly approached the government for rope that could be used to pull the boat and rescue the students. He was told that rope was not included in the budget.
He then obtained the rope from his father’s business, and the students were brought safely ashore. The family said the incident left a lasting impression on him. He believed that a government unable to act flexibly to save people needed to change, and the experience helped motivate his entry into politics.
Wathey initially became involved with another political party before forming the Democratic Party with Clem LaBega in 1951. His relatives described the two men as a complementary team. Wathey was seen as the leader with the larger vision and willingness to make bold decisions, while LaBega helped develop the details required to turn those decisions into policy.
The family stressed that the St. Maarten Wathey entered politics to serve was very different from the country known today. During the 1940s and early 1950s, democracy and universal voting rights had not yet been fully introduced. The salt industry had largely collapsed, the economy offered few opportunities and many residents were leaving for Aruba, Curaçao and other destinations in search of work.
They cautioned against romanticizing that period, saying life was difficult for many families and migration was evidence that the island was struggling to sustain its population. Wathey believed something had to be done to reverse that decline.
Unable to compete with larger Caribbean territories in traditional industries such as sugar, he looked to St. Maarten’s natural assets, particularly its beaches, location and hospitality, as the foundation for a new tourism economy. The island was initially marketed as the “Beach Island” before later becoming widely known as the Friendly Island.
Because government had limited funds for international promotion, Wathey and his colleagues relied heavily on public relations and personal connections to attract hotels, cruise lines and investors from the United States. The family recalled that Wathey and LaBega sometimes travelled to New York with enough money for only one hotel room, which they shared while attending meetings aimed at generating interest in St. Maarten.
Those efforts helped attract some of the first major foreign investment to an island that had little local capital available for large-scale development. The Seaview Hotel on Front Street was identified during the interview as the island’s first established hotel. It was followed by Little Bay, the first major hotel development, and later the Great Bay Hotel, Concord Hotel, Mullet Bay and other properties.
The family said the development of Mullet Bay helped move St. Maarten into a higher level of Caribbean tourism and created employment across the hotel, construction, transportation and service sectors. They recalled that Henry Ford visited the island to examine investment opportunities connected to what later became the Mullet Bay development.
As hotels were built, St. Maarten needed workers. Wathey reportedly travelled to Aruba to encourage St. Maarteners and their descendants to return home and help build the island. Workers from St. Kitts and Nevis, Saba and other neighbouring islands also came to St. Maarten to work in construction, hotels and related industries.
The family said this movement of people, combined with the development of housing and government land, helped shape modern Philipsburg and the wider community. They also spoke about the early days of cruise tourism, when the island had so few taxis that residents with cars were asked to transport visitors whenever ships arrived. Ships such as the Stella Maris and Stella Polaris were among the early cruise vessels to call at St. Maarten, long before the island became one of the Caribbean’s major cruise destinations.
Wathey also recognized the importance of maritime infrastructure. The first deep-water pier at what is now Port St. Maarten was named the A.C. Wathey Pier. His family said the pier helped open the island to the wider world, supported trade and laid the groundwork for St. Maarten’s development as a maritime and transshipment center. They said he understood that tourism alone could not carry the island without investment in the airport, port, roads, housing, education and the workforce.
Education was another major part of his vision. The family recalled that Wathey entrusted Milton Peters with responsibility for education, recognizing his ability to develop that sector. Milton Peters College, which was named in his honor in 1975, remains one of the island’s largest and most important secondary schools.
Beyond government and development, Wathey was remembered as a quiet and accessible leader. His office was located near the square in Philipsburg, where residents could approach him directly to discuss problems, ask for assistance or offer their opinions. He was often seen wearing a simple guayabera rather than formal clothing, and his family said his down-to-earth manner helped him remain connected to ordinary people.
They said he was not a man who spoke constantly or sought attention. He preferred action and believed results should show whether leadership had been effective. According to the family, Wathey’s legacy should be judged by the number of people whose lives improved, the opportunities created and the transformation of St. Maarten from an island people were leaving into one that attracted workers, investors and visitors. They said he did not believe leaders needed permission to improve the lives of their people. He believed they had a responsibility to act.
The interview also touched on one of the most tense periods of Wathey’s later political life, when he was arrested and was to be taken to Curaçao for questioning in connection with matters involving the harbour and airport. Residents gathered at the airport and surrounded the aircraft, insisting that he remain in St. Maarten. His family said the public feared what might happen if he were taken away from the island and beyond the view of the community.
The crowd eventually stood down only after Wathey asked that the legal process be allowed to continue. His relatives said the incident reflected the strength of his bond with the people. They believed residents were prepared to defend him because they knew he had spent his political life defending St. Maarten.
The family’s appearance on radio was also intended to invite the public to remember that history during the centennial activities on Friday. The commemoration will begin with an invitation-only ceremony at Port St. Maarten, where invited guests and speakers will pay tribute to Wathey’s life and contribution.
The port was selected because of his connection to the development of the A.C. Wathey Pier and the wider maritime sector. The celebration will then move to the Cyrus Wathey Square area in Philipsburg for a public tribute expected to begin at approximately 9:15 p.m.
The public program will include remarks, musical tributes and a fireworks display. King Beau Beau is expected to perform a song created in Wathey’s memory, with lyrics by Clarence Derby and production by Funk Gumbs. The family said the centennial observance is intended to tell Wathey that St. Maarten remembers him, has not forgotten his work and continues to benefit from the foundation he helped build.
