Christopher J. Turner

Christopher John Turner , CBE (born August 17, 1933 in Kingston upon Thames ; † October 30, 2014 in Chichester ) was a British colonial administrator and economic manager who was governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands between 1982 and 1987 and then from 1987 to 1990 Was governor of Montserrat .

Life

Colonial official in Africa, the South Pacific and Asia

Turner, the eldest of seven children, grew up in Oxfordshire during World War II and later in Cornwall and attended Truro Cathedral School , founded in 1549 , where he was the student representative and captain of the rugby team. After graduating from school, he joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) and trained as a navigator in Canada , after which he was promoted to pilot officer . He then began studying English at Jesus College at the University of Cambridge and then training for overseas civil servants (Overseas Civil Service Course for Administrative Officers) . After graduation, he entered the colonial service in Tanganyika as a district official in 1958 and soon became the youngest district commissioner in Africa . After Tanganyika gained independence in 1962, he stayed in the country at the request of the first President of the Tanganyika Republic, Julius Nyerere, and was initially a regional magistrate and later an employee of the Tanzania Ministry of Education .

In 1970 Turner returned to the colonial service and was District Agent in the New Hebrides Condominium and later Finance Secretary, Chief Secretary and Acting Resident Commissioner of that colony when it gained independence from the United Kingdom and France on July 30, 1980 when Vanuatu became independent . In 1978 he was named Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services . In 1980 he then moved to the administration of the British Crown Colony in Hong Kong , where he was the chief assistant secretary until 1982.

Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands and Governor of Montserrat

In October 1982 Turner succeeded John Clifford Strong as governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands and held this office until he was succeeded by Michael J. Bradley in January 1987. At that time, the islands were used as a refueling point for small planes that operated illegal supply routes for the drug trafficking between South America and the United States flew. In collaboration with the US drug enforcement agency DEA ( Drug Enforcement Administration ) , he played a key role in combating this drug traffic, which led to death threats and attacks against him. After allegations of corruption and nepotism were brought against the then Chief Minister of the Turks and Caicos Islands, Nathaniel Francis , he had to resign on July 25, 1986. This was followed by the suspension of the office of Chief Minister and the establishment of an Interim Advisory Council by Governor Turner, which consisted of Ariel Misick, Emmanuel Missick, Clement Howell and Carlos W. Simons from July 1986 to May 1987.

After finishing his activities in the Turks and Caicos Islands , Turner succeeded Arthur Christopher Watson as governor of Montserrat in 1987 . He held this office until he left government service in 1990, whereupon David Taylor was his successor there. When he left, he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).

He then moved into the private sector and worked as executive director of the British subsidiary of the US logistics and delivery company McLane Company , before 1996 until his retirement in 2004 as a senior project manager at Cambridge-Myers Consulting Group was engaged .

Turner was married to Irene Philomena de Sousa and had three children.

Web links

• Biography in Caribbean Elections
• Entry in rulers.org

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Turks and Caicos Islands: Governors, Chief Ministers and Prime Ministers
2. ↑ Note: Arthur Christopher Watson was also governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands between 1975 and 1978
3. ^ Montserrat: Governors and Chief Ministers