Edgar Whitehead
| Sir Edgar Whitehead | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 8, 1905 British Embassy, Berlin, German Empire |
| Died | September 22, 1971 (aged 66) Newbury, Berkshire, United Kingdom |
| Title | 6th Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia |
| Term | 17 February 1958 – 17 December 1962 |
| Predecessor | Garfield Todd |
| Successor | Winston Field |
| Political party | United Federal Party |
Sir Edgar Cuthbert Fremantle Whitehead was the Prime Minister of Rhodesia from 1958 to 1962.
Background
He was born in the British Embassy in Berlin where his father Sir James Beethom Whitehead was a diplomat. He was the fifth of seven children. His mother, Lady Marian Cecilia Brodrick, was the daughter of the eighth Viscount Midleton. Whitehead moved to Rhodesia in 1928.[1] He left Rhodesia for Britain in 1965, the year Ian Smith declared unilateral independence.[2]
Weak eyes forced him to abandon plans for a career in the British civil service. On medical advice, he settled in Southern Rhodesia — as Rhodesia was known then—where he bought and farmed 2,000 acres in the eastern highlands.
He is the bother of George Robert Beethom Whitehead; Augusta Alice Cecilia Whitehead; John William StJohn Whitehead; Frances Edith Marian Bowman; Hugh Laurence James Whitehead; and Arthur Wilfred Alexander Whitehead.[3]
Political Career
Edgar Whitehead became a member of the Southern Rhodesia legislative assembly in 1939. His service was interrupted by the Second World War. He joined the Royal Army Service (Supply) Corps, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel.
After the war, he was appointed Southern Rhodesia's High Commissioner in London but soon returned to politics in Rhodesia.
In 1946 he was named Minister of Finance. His term in office was controversial since his encouragement of government interest in financial affairs annoyed conservative businessmen. He was also a stanch advocate of a closer association between North and South Rhodesia and Nyasaland.
His eyesight became so bad that he retired to his farm in 1953, the year that the two Rhodesias were merged into a federation that was to last for 10 years.
Edgar Whitehead was knighted in 1953 and resumed his political career, and in 1957 headed the federation's diplomatic mission to the United States. He was recalled from Washington the following year to become a compromise candidate in the struggle for leadership of the governing United Federal Party. After a deadlock at one stage, Sir Edgar Whitehead eventually formed a Cabinet which included the former Prime Minister, Garfield Todd, and two of his former Ministers, Ellman Brown and Mr. Hatty.
The complete Cabinet was as follows:- Prime Minister and Minister of Native Affairs Sir Edgar Whitehead Leader of the House and Minister of Mines, Lands and Surveys Sir George Davenport, Minister of Labour and Social Welfare Garfield Todd, Minister of the Treasury and Native Education C. J. Hatty, Minister of Justice and Internal Affairs Reginald Knight, Minister of Roads and Road Traffic, Local Government and Housing and Irrigation Ellman Brown.[4]
He entered Parliament in 1958 as Prime Minister and Minister for Native Affairs. His time in office saw the dismantling of the Central African Federation and the negotiation of the 1961 constitution, which gave blacks representation in the Southern Rhodesian parliament for the first time. He was defeated in an election the following year.[1]
As Prime Minister he arrested hundreds of members of the African National Congress, banned its organizations and took other repressive steps, saying he feared riots similar to those that had taken place in Nyasaland.
When he left Rhodesia for Britain, Whitehead spoke out against Rhodesia's split with Britain, but also criticized the British attempt to isolate the former colony.
Death
Whitehead died during the night in a nursing home at Newbury, Berkshire aged 66 years old.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sir Edgar Whitehead, npg.org.uk, Published: December 29, 2021
- ↑ Sir Edgar Whitehead, 66, Dies; A Former Leader of Rhodesia, The New York Times, Published: September 24, 1971, Retrieved: December 29, 2021
- ↑ Sir Edgar Whitehead, OBE, GENi, Published: No Date Given, Retrieved: December 29, 2021
- ↑ Southern Rhodesia: Sir Edgar Whitehead, New Prime Minister Of Southern Rhodesia, britishpathe.com, Published: No Date Given, Retrieved: December 29, 2021
