Horton, A. Romeo, 1923-2005

Hide Profile

Alexander Romeo Horton was born in 1923 in Monrovia, Liberia . As a child Horton moved to Virginia, Liberia to pursue his education at the Ricks Institute. He later attended Booker Washington Institute, where he graduated from the eighth grade in 1937 . After completing high school at College of West Africa in the 1940s, Horton entered Morehouse College in Atlanta, his father’s alma mater. He then began the Business and Finance Masters program at University of Pennsylvania .

Horton is best known for founding and presiding over the Bank of Liberia, the country’s first indigenous banking institution. He later served on the development board that created the African Development Bank (ADB) and the ECOWAS Fund (Economic Community of West African States), a subsidiary of ADB . In the beginning stages of the ECOWAS, Horton served as the managing director, relocating to Togo . Horton held the position of chairman on the ADB board, travelling to visit almost all African Heads of State and many western leaders, presenting African Development ideas. Liberia became a key figure in the establishment of the ADB due to Horton's efforts.

Because of the 1980s coup d’état in Liberia, Horton relocated to the U.S . The mayor of Philadelphia appointed Horton as managing director of the Philadelphia Commercial Development Corporation (PCDC), While in Pennsylvania, he served as the brainchild behind the creation of one of Philadelphia's most successful black banks, the United Bank of Philadelphia. Horton also served in the administration of Philadelphia's first African-American Mayor

He helped direct the Wharton African Entrepreneurial Project and managed the Wharton/Africa Symposium in October 1983 . This event involved representatives from seventeen African countries and over one hundred American businesses and institutions interested in building stronger economic ties with Africa .

Horton was a close friend of both Rev. Jesse Jackson and Liberian President Charles Taylor, and he actually initiated the meeting between Jackson and Taylor in the late 90s.

Horton was married for 49 years to Mary Eliza Horton and had five children: Shepard, Kamah, Danlette, Renee, and Romell. He died in 2005 in Abington, Pennsylvania .

From the guide to the The A. Romeo Horton Collection, 1959-2007, (Liberian Collections http://www.onliberia.org)

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf The A. Romeo Horton Collection, 1959-2007 Liberian Collectionshttp://www.onliberia.org
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith African Congress (Africon) corporateBody
associatedWith African Development Bank corporateBody
associatedWith AHEAD (Agency for Holistic Evangelism and Development) corporateBody
associatedWith Alexander, Sadie person
associatedWith American Express corporateBody
associatedWith Bank of Africa corporateBody
associatedWith Beaver College corporateBody
associatedWith Benjamin Elijah Mays person
associatedWith Bryant, Charles person
associatedWith Central Bank corporateBody
associatedWith Clinton, Bill person
associatedWith Congress of National Black Churches corporateBody
associatedWith Corporate Council on Africa corporateBody
associatedWith Ecobank corporateBody
associatedWith Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) corporateBody
associatedWith ECOWAS corporateBody
associatedWith Friends of Liberia corporateBody
associatedWith International Industrial Conference corporateBody
associatedWith International Monetary Fund corporateBody
associatedWith Jackson, Jesse person
associatedWith J.J. Roberts Educational Foundation corporateBody
associatedWith Liberia National Conference corporateBody
associatedWith Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy corporateBody
associatedWith Mano River Union, corporateBody
associatedWith Ministry of Education corporateBody
associatedWith Ministry of Finance corporateBody
associatedWith Ministry of Foreign Affairs corporateBody
associatedWith Morehouse College corporateBody
associatedWith National Bank of Liberia corporateBody
associatedWith Operation Push corporateBody
associatedWith Organization of African Unity corporateBody
associatedWith PNC Bank corporateBody
associatedWith Powell, Colin person
associatedWith Prudential corporateBody
associatedWith Sigma Pi Phi corporateBody
associatedWith SRI International corporateBody
associatedWith Taylor, Charles person
associatedWith United Nations corporateBody
associatedWith University of Liberia corporateBody
associatedWith University of Pennsylvania corporateBody
associatedWith West African Monetary Zone corporateBody
associatedWith William Beam’s person
associatedWith Williams-Sirleaf, Sarah person
Place Name Admin Code Country
Subject
Occupation
Activity

Person

Related Descriptions
Information

Permalink: http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6wc14pp

Ark ID: w6wc14pp

SNAC ID: 13396753