  We present new near-IR and optical spectroscopic observations which confirm
the redshift of the z=1.44 extremely red object ERO J164502+4626.4 (object 10
of Hu & Ridgway 1994) and a HST image which reveals a reflected-S-shaped
morphology at (rest-frame) near-UV wavelengths. The contrast between the
rest-frame far-red (8200-9800A) and near-UV (2900-3900A) morphologies suggests
that the central regions of the galaxy are heavily obscured by dust and that
the galaxy is most likely an interacting or disturbed system. We also present
new photometry of this object at 450, 850 and 1350 microns obtained using SCUBA
on the JCMT. The rest-frame SED of this ERO is best understood in terms of a
highly reddened stellar population with ongoing star formation, as originally
suggested by Graham & Dey (1996). The new sub-mm data presented here indicate
that the remarkable similarity to ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) such
as Arp220 extends into the rest-frame far-IR which bears the signature of
thermal emission from dust. ERO J164502+4626.4 is extremely luminous (7E12
Lsun) and dusty (M[dust] = 7E8 Msun). If its luminosity is powered by young hot
stars, then ERO J164502+4626.4 is forming stars at the prodigious rate of
1000-2000 Msun/yr. We conclude that it is a distant analogue of the nearby
ULIRG population, the more distant or less luminous counterparts of which may
be missed by even the deepest existing optical surveys. The sub-mm emitters
recently discovered by deep SCUBA surveys may be galaxies similar to ERO
J164502+4626.4 (but perhaps more distant). This population of extremely dusty
galaxies may also contribute significantly to the cosmic sub-mm background
emission.
