Maurice Rupert Bishop (May 29, 1944 – October 19, 1983) was a Grenadan politician. His New Jewel Movement overthrew the Eric Gairy regime in 1979 and he became Prime Minister of Grenada. His government put into effect many Leninist policies and sought closer relationships with Fidel Castro's Cuba, the Soviet Union and other Communist bloc nations.
Bishop was well-educated and had an extensive background in studies of the black power movement. He was widely believed to have been cheated out of an election victory by Gairy's supporters several years before leading the revolution against Gairy, who was out of the country addressing the United Nations at the time.
In October 1983, Bishop was overthrown and executed at Fort Rupert, St. George's along with a number of his supporters after a military coup d'état, led by Bishop's erstwhile friend and Deputy Prime Minister Bernard Coard. This event prompted a U.S.-led invasion of the island, "Operation Urgent Fury," to depose Coard.
Bishop had planned to build a large, controversial international airport on Grenada with Cuban assistance, which was eventually completed with U.S. assistance several years later.
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Last updated: 10-19-2005 02:37:11
