High Commissioner for Southern Africa
The British office of high commissioner for Southern Africa was responsible for governing British possessions in Southern Africa, latterly the protectorates of Basutoland (now Lesotho), the Bechuanaland Protectorate (now Botswana) and Swaziland (now Eswatini), as well as for relations with autonomous governments in the area.
| High Commissioner for Southern Africa | |
|---|---|
.svg.png.webp) Flag of the High Commissioner for Southern Africa, 1907–1931 | |
.svg.png.webp) Flag of the High Commissioner for Southern Africa, 1931–1968 | |
| Formation | 27 January 1847 |
| First holder | Sir Henry Pottinger |
| Final holder | Sir Hugh Stephenson |
| Abolished | 31 July 1964 |
The office was combined with that of Governor of Cape Colony from 1847 to 1901, with that of the governor of Transvaal Colony 1901 to 1910, and with that of Governor-General of South Africa from 1910 to 1931. The British government appointed the Governor-General as High Commissioner under a separate commission. In addition to responsibility for Basutoland, Bechuanaland and Swaziland, he held reserve powers concerning the interests of the native population of Southern Rhodesia.[1] The post was abolished on 1 August 1964.[2]
List of officeholders
| Name | Began | Ended |
|---|---|---|
| Sir Henry Pottinger | 27 January 1847 | 1 December 1847 |
| Sir Harry Smith | 1 December 1847 | 31 March 1852 |
| George Cathcart | 31 March 1852 | 26 May 1854 |
| Charles Henry Darling (acting) | 26 May 1854 | 5 December 1854 |
| Sir George Grey | 5 December 1854 | 15 August 1861 |
| Robert Henry Wynyard (acting) | 15 August 1861 | 15 January 1862 |
| Sir Philip Wodehouse | 15 January 1862 | 20 May 1870 |
| Charles Craufurd Hay (acting) | 20 May 1870 | 31 December 1870 |
| Sir Henry Barkly | 31 December 1870 | 31 March 1877 |
| Sir Bartle Frere | 31 March 1877 | 15 September 1880 |
| Henry Hugh Clifford (acting) | 15 September 1880 | 27 September 1880 |
| Sir George Cumine Strahan (acting) | 27 September 1880 | 22 January 1881 |
| Sir Hercules Robinson | 22 January 1881 | 1 May 1889 |
| Henry Augustus Smyth (acting) | 1 May 1889 | 13 December 1889 |
| Sir Henry Brougham Loch | 13 December 1889 | 30 May 1895 |
| Sir Hercules Robinson (from 1896, the Lord Rosmead) | 30 May 1895 | 21 April 1897 |
| William Goodenough (acting) | 21 April 1897 | 5 May 1897 |
| Sir Alfred Milner | 5 May 1897 | May 1905 |
| William Palmer, 2nd Earl of Selborne | May 1905 | 31 May 1910 |
| Sir Walter Hely-Hutchinson (acting, in the absence of Lord Selborne) | 1909 | 1909 |
| The Viscount Gladstone | 31 May 1910 | 8 September 1914 |
| The Viscount Buxton | 8 September 1914 | 17 July 1920 |
| Beresford Cecil Molyneux Carter (acting High Commissioner only with Sir James Rose Innes acting Governor General from 17 July 1920) |
3 September 1920 | 20 November 1920 |
| Prince Arthur of Connaught | 20 November 1920 | 5 December 1923 |
| Rudolph Bentinck (acting High Commissioner only with Sir James Rose Innes acting Governor General from 5 December 1923) |
10 December 1923 | 21 January 1924 |
| The Earl of Athlone | 21 January 1924 | 26 January 1931 |
| The Earl of Clarendon | 26 January 1931 | 6 April 1931 |
| Sir Herbert Stanley | 6 April 1931 | 6 January 1935 |
| Sir William Clark | 7 January 1935 | 3 January 1940 |
| Sir Edward Harding | 3 January 1940 | 3 January 1941 |
| Sir Walter Huggard (acting) | 3 January 1941 | 24 May 1941 |
| The Lord Harlech | 24 May 1941 | 13 May 1944 |
| Harold Eddey Priestman (acting) | 13 May 1944 | 23 June 1944 |
| Sir Walter Huggard (acting) | 23 June 1944 | 27 October 1944 |
| Sir Evelyn Baring | 27 October 1944 | 1 October 1951 |
| Sir John Le Rougetel | 2 October 1951 | 2 February 1955 |
| Sir Percivale Liesching | 4 March 1955 | December 1958 |
| Sir John Maud | 15 January 1959 | 1963 |
| Sir Hugh Stephenson | 1963 | 31 July 1964 |
The high commission territories
The high commissioner was responsible for governing the following territories, in each case represented by a resident commissioner:
- Basutoland, gained independence as Lesotho on 4 October 1966
- Bechuanaland, gained independence as Botswana on 30 September 1966
- Swaziland, gained independence on 6 September 1968 (now Eswatini)
See also
- List of high commissioners of the United Kingdom to South Africa
- Governor of Hong Kong - post held by two High Commissioners for Southern Africa
References
- See Whitakers Almanack, 1928
- cahoon, ben. "Botswana". www.worldstatesmen.org. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
Further reading
- Spence, John Edward. "British policy towards the High Commission territories." Journal of modern African studies 2.2 (1964): 221-246.
- Torrance, David E. "Britain, South Africa, and the high commission territories: an old controversy revisited." Historical Journal 41.3 (1998): 751-772. online
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