Kenneth Blackburne

Sir Kenneth William Blackburne GCMG GBE (12 December 1907 – 4 November 1980) was a British colonial official who was the first governor-general of Jamaica. He was knighted in 1952.

Kenneth Blackburne
1st Governor-General of Jamaica
In office
6 August 1962  30 November 1962
MonarchElizabeth II
Prime MinisterAlexander Bustamante
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byClifford Campbell
Governor of Jamaica
In office
18 December 1957  6 August 1962
MonarchElizabeth II
Preceded byLord Caradon
Succeeded byPosition abolished
Himself (as governor-general)
Governor of the Leeward Islands
In office
1950–1956
MonarchsGeorge VI
Elizabeth II
Preceded byOliver Ridsdale Baldwin
Succeeded byAlexander Thomas Williams
Personal details
Born
Kenneth William Blackburne

(1907-12-12)12 December 1907
Bordon, Hampshire, England
Died4 November 1980(1980-11-04) (aged 72)
Douglas, Isle of Man

Early life

Blackburne was born on 12 December 1907 in Bordon Camp, Bordon, Hampshire, England, the first son of The Very Reverend Harry Blackburne. He attended Marlborough College and graduated from Clare College at the University of Cambridge with a degree in Modern Languages and Geography.[1]

Career

Blackburne entered the colonial service in 1930 and served in Nigeria, Palestine and the Gambia. He then served in the West Indies from 1943 to 1947 and subsequently as director of colonial information services in London from 1947 to 1950, before returning to the West Indies. He served as Governor of the Leeward Islands from 1950 to 1956 and as Governor of Jamaica from 1957 until 1962. When Jamaica received its independence in August 1962, Blackburne was appointed as the Governor-General; he served in that position for three months till 30 November 1962 when his Jamaican replacement, Clifford Campbell, took office.[2]

Blackburne was also the patron of many organisations including the Commodore Royal Jamaica Yacht Club, the Amateur Swimming Association of Jamaica, the Jamaica Anti-Tuberculosis League, the Jamaica Automobile Association, the Jamaica Cricket Board of Control, the Jamaica Historical Society, and many others.[1]

Personal life and death

On 18 May 1935, Blackburne married Bridgette Senhouse Constant, the daughter of James Mackay Wilson and Alice (née Goldie-Taubman). They had a son, Martin Andrew (born July 1944), and a daughter, Jean Alice (born February 1948).[3] Blackburne was an Anglican and enjoyed tennis and sailing.[1] He died on 4 November 1980 in Douglas, Isle of Man.[4]

References

  1. "Sir Kenneth William Blackburne". King's House. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  2. Wendell Bell (1964). Jamaican Leaders. University of California Press. p. 9.
  3. "Lady Blackburne". King's House. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  4. Murray, Lorraine. "Sir Kenneth Blackburne". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
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