Eric Anthony Abrahams | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Director of Tourism | |
| In office April 1970 – April 1975 | |
| Member of the Jamaican Senate | |
| In office 1977 – August 1977 | |
| Member of the Jamaican House of Representatives, representing East Portland (1980–1983) representing Kingston East and Port Royal (1983–1989) | |
| In office 1980–1989 | |
| Minister of Tourism and Minister of Information | |
| In office 1980–1984 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 5 May 1940 |
| Died | 7 August 2011 (aged 71) |
| Alma mater | University of the West Indies University of Oxford |
| Nickname | Tony |
Eric Anthony Abrahams (5 May 1940 – 7 August 2011) was a Jamaican public servant and broadcaster. He was director of tourism from 1970 to 1975, and minister of tourism and information from 1980 to 1984. After leaving office, he co-created a radio show with Beverley Manley, "The Breakfast Club". He was involved in a libel suit against the Gleaner Company, which initially resulted in a major settlement to him. Abrahams was educated at Jamaica College and later at the University of the West Indies and University of Oxford (as a Rhodes Scholar). At Oxford, he was elected president of the Oxford Union, a debating society. In 1964, he hosted a debate attended by Malcolm X. In Britain, he briefly worked for the BBC as its first black TV reporter.
When Abrahams returned to Jamaica, he became involved in the tourism industry, overseeing increased efforts to advertise Jamaica and its culture as the youngest director of tourism yet. Abrahams was a member of the Jamaican Senate (1977) and a director of Air Jamaica. After being elected to the Jamaican House of Representatives in 1980, the prime minister of Jamaica, Edward Seaga, made him the first dedicated minister of tourism in a Jamaican cabinet. As minister, Abrahams led a revitalization of the nation's tourism industry. He was also an advocate for the 1983 United States invasion of Grenada. Abrahams left his post of minister in 1984, officially for "personal reasons", though the actual reason is unclear. He was a member of the Jamaica Labour Party until 1985 and served four years in parliament as an independent, not running for re-election in 1989.
After leaving office, Abrahams sought to develop a tourism consultancy, pursued libel cases, primarily against the Gleaner Company, and co-ran a radio show, The Breakfast Club.