A. C. Shillingford

Albert Cavendish Shillingford (11 May 1882 — 7 March 1938), also known as "ACS", was a West Indian businessman of colonial Dominica. Snug Corner Estate in Saint George Parish, where he lived. His Shillingford ancestors, originally from England, settled in Dominica in the late 18th century. Shillingford's mother, also known as Aglais, was from Saint Joseph and is described as having a genial disposition, she died in 1898. His father then married Ella Serrant and had another 6 children with her.

Career

Early career After receiving his druggist license upon completing training at the Roseau Hospital, Shillingford partnered with fellow student Sidney Green to establish Shillingford & Green, Druggists in 1905. After five years, the partnership was dissolved, leading to the creation of their respective businesses, Shillingford's being a pharmacy and grocery named The Phoenix.

Agro-industry and export With the support of relatives including his cousin; politician and planter Howell Donald Shillingford, he expanded into agriculture, acquiring estates that produced limes, oranges, bananas, sugarcane, and other crops. In 1924, he established a lime processing factory in Newtown, followed by another in Soufrière. His operations later expanded to neighbouring islands, where he constructed additional lime processing plants in Trinidad and Grenada. This expansion broke the monopoly held by the British-owned L. Rose & Co., allowing local yellow lime growers to secure better prices for their produce. He also processed, manufactured, then exported Dominica Bay Rum. He was a member of the board of the Dominica Banana Association. They held significant influence as they owned many of the island's plantations and controlled most of the commercial interests in Roseau; which while wandering around, Patrick Leigh Fermor noted that "every shop appeared to be called Shillingford". This combined with the family’s membership of the legislature made them both directly and indirectly politically powerful.

Politics Shillingford opposed British political dominance by supporting the Dominica Taxpayers Reform Association. He was a financial backer of the 1932 Dominica Conference, which was attended by regional political figures, including Arthur Cipriani of Trinidad and Theophilus Marryshow of Grenada. The conference advocated for a federation of the British West Indian Territories. He was an early ally of Dominican barrister and activist Cecil E. A. Rawle, who married Shillingford's sister Eva in 1919. And planter, legislator, and banker J. B. Charles (the father of Eugenia Charles). He was also allied with poet & editor J. R. Ralph Casimir, a Pan-Africanist and Marcus Garvey's UNIA organizer. He was known as the best friend to the poor. bay, in Marigot, whilst sea bathing with his cousin Howell and the estate overseer, a "Mr L. Riviere". His funeral garnered a large number of people from all walks of life. The procession began by leaving his home at New Street, in Roseau, where all the shops closed and the banks flew their flags at half-mast.

Following Shillingford's death his cousin Newton Shillingford, another one of Dominica's wealthiest and most prominent businessmen, who had been the firm's attorney and manager for several years was made trustee of A. C. Shillingford & Co. The family's influence began to wane in the 1960s.