Edward Beetham

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Sir Edward Betham Beetham ( February 19, 1905 - February 19, 1979 ) was a British colonial official of the 20th century. From 1955 to 1960 he was the last British-born governor of Trinidad and Tobago and initiated the transition to independence for the colony.

Life

Beetham attended the traditional Charterhouse School in Godalming and Lincoln College in Oxford . In 1935 he was appointed judge in the South Kavirondo district in the former Nyanza province in Kenya . In the 1940s he was a colonial administrator in Sierra Leone . From 1946 to 1950 he was resident commissioner (a consul who was responsible for and stationed in another Commonwealth country ) in Swaziland and from 1950 to 1953 in Bechuanaland . From 1953 to 1955 he was governor of the Windward Islands ( Dominica , Grenada , Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines ).

From 1955 to 1960, Beetham was finally governor of Trinidad and Tobago. He carried out his office in turbulent times: The colony's aspirations for autonomy were taken into account with multiple restructuring of the country's legislative organ, the Legislative Council. By 1949, half of its members were appointed by the British government, and the governor was able to secure a majority of the appointed members with his additional vote. In 1949 a constitution was changed that allowed all members of the Legislative Council to vote, but gave the governor the right to veto all decisions. Another constitutional amendment was worked out under Beetham, which made a board of directors elected by the Legislative Council Chief Minister and assigned the official duties of the colony to him. The constitution came into force under Beetham's rule in September 1956. After the 1956 elections, Beetham ensured that key positions in the colony's administration were filled with members of the London-favored People's National Movement (PNM), which paved the way for the PNM to over 30 years of government power in Trinidad.

During Beetham's tenure, the West Indian Federation was founded , a political entity from British colonies of the Caribbean that existed from 1958 to 1962 and which, according to the will of the colonial power Great Britain, should become an independent state, but broke up due to internal quarrels. With the establishment of the Federation, the Governor's House, the official residence of the governor, was converted into a museum, after which Beetham moved his official residence to Scarborough on Tobago .

In 1959, under Beetham's leadership, the party government system was replaced by a cabinet government system, and on July 16, 1960, Trinidad gained full autonomy, which for Beetham meant handing over the governorship to the Trinidadian Solomon Hochoy , the last governor of the British colony of Trinidad and shortly thereafter the first governor-general of the then independent country.

Awards

Posthumous Effect and Evaluation

The Trinidadian historian Michael Anthony described Beetham as "one of the best governors who have ever served the country". The Trinidad Newsday paints a somewhat more negative picture of Beetham in an analysis of the policies of former Prime Minister Eric Williams ; this was part of a political tradition that can be viewed negatively today, in that, like his predecessors in office, he vehemently advocated that the members of the executive council vote in principle with their chairman in all votes contrary to democratic obligations. Newsday editor George Alleyne stated that Beetham had paved the way for the Williams appointed by him to his autocratic leadership style. The British historian Bridget Brereton , however, sees Beetham's approach as far-sighted; Trinidad was on the threshold of independence in turbulent times, and Beetham had recognized that the acceptance and enforceability of the constitution he supported could only be achieved through stable political majorities.

After Beetham Trinidad shortest Highway (between are Port of Spain and Barataria running Beetham Highway ), a ghetto and a dump named.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Government Notice No. 802 . In: Kenya Gazette . Volume 37, No. 57, November 19, 1935, p. 1234.
  2. ↑ Michael Anthony: Historical Dictionary of Trinidad and Tobago . Scarecrow Press, London 1997, ISBN 0-8108-3173-2 , pp. 346 .
  3. ↑ Bridget Brereton: A History of Modern Trinidad 1783--1962 . 4th edition. Terra Verde Resource Center, Champs Fleurs 2009, ISBN 0-435-98116-1 , pp. 237 .
  4. ^ National Trust.tt : President's House. Retrieved August 14, 2017 .
  5. ^ Chancery of the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George . In: The London Gazette . January 1, 1955, p. 4 in the supplement.
  6. ↑ Michael Anthony: Historical Dictionary of Trinidad and Tobago . Scarecrow Press, London 1997, ISBN 0-8108-3173-2 , pp. 48 .
  7. ↑ Trinidad Newsday of October 21, 2009: A Leader Can Be Challenged. Retrieved November 25, 2017 .
  8. ↑ Bridget Brereton: A History of Modern Trinidad 1783--1962 . 4th edition. Terra Verde Resource Center, Champs Fleurs 2009, ISBN 0-435-98116-1 , pp. 232 .
personal data
SURNAME Beetham, Edward
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Beetham, Edward Betham (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British Colonial Administrator
DATE OF BIRTH February 19, 1905
DATE OF DEATH 19th February 1979