James Wilson Robertson
Sir James Wilson Robertson Governor-General of Nigeria | |
---|---|
In office 15 June 1955 – 16 November 1960 | |
Monarch | Elizabeth II |
Preceded by | John Stuart Macpherson |
Succeeded by | Nnamdi Azikiwe |
Personal details | |
Born | Broughty Ferry, Dundee, Scotland | 27 October 1899
Died | 23 September 1983 Wallingford, Oxfordshire,[1] England | (aged 83)
Relatives | Ian Robertson, Lord Robertson (brother) Joanna Kuenssberg (great-niece) Laura Kuenssberg (great-niece) James Robertson (son) |
Education | Merchiston Castle School |
Alma mater | Balliol College, Oxford |
Occupation | Civil servant |
Military service | |
Branch/service | British Army |
Unit | |
Sir James Wilson Robertson,
Early life and education
He was educated at
Career
After Oxford he joined the
He was then sent to Nigeria as a result of his work. He was Governor-General from 15 June 1955 to 16 November 1960 (representing the Queen as head of state from 1 October to 16 November 1960).[6]
Family
He married Nancy Walker in 1926. They had 2 children, a son and a daughter. His son is political and economic thinker and activist James Robertson. His brother was
His first wife was Anne Mueller.Writings
Roberston wrote a memoir, Transition in Africa: From Direct Rule to Independence, published by Hurst, London, in 1974, that reflects on his nearly 40 years in Africa. It provides detail on both his administrative life and personal observations. In a final chapter, "Reflections", he accounts the swift collapse and disintegration of so much of what he and his fellow British servants of the Empire had constructed not only in the Sudan and Nigeria, but in all of Britain's former colonial African territories. Commenting on foreign concern about post-independence difficulties, he observed: "Americans have asked me: 'Why did you leave so soon, before the colonial territories were ready to rule themselves?' And when I have answered, 'Partly, I am sure, because of your pressure on us to go,' [they] have answered that they did not know then what they know now, and that we should have resisted their pressure." (p. 253)
Robertson made a notable contribution to a 1978 Oxford Symposium, Transfer of Power: the Colonial Administrator in the Age of De-colonisation, edited by
Styles
This section contains a list of miscellaneous information. (March 2021) |
- 1899 – 3 June 1931: James Wilson Robertson
- 3 June 1931 – 1940: James Wilson Robertson MBE[10]
- 1940–1941: His Excellency James Wilson Robertson MBE, Governor of Gezira Province[11]
- 1941 – 1 January 1948: James Wilson Robertson MBE
- 1 January 1948 – 1 June 1953: Sir James Wilson Robertson KBE[12]
- 1 June 1953 – 15 June 1955: Sir James Wilson Robertson KCMG, KBE[13]
- 15 June 1955 – 1956: His Excellency Sir James Wilson Robertson KCMG, KBE, Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief, Federation of Nigeria
- 1956 – 13 June 1957: His Excellency Sir James Wilson Robertson GCVO, KCMG, KBE, Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief, Federation of Nigeria
- 13 June 1957 – 1 October 1960: His Excellency Sir James Wilson Robertson GCMG, GCVO, KBE, Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief, Federation of Nigeria[14]
- 1 October – 16 November 1960: His Excellency Sir James Wilson Robertson GCMG, GCVO, KBE, Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief of the Independent Federation of Nigeria
- 16 November 1960 – 1965: Sir James Wilson Robertson GCMG, GCVO, KBE
- 1965–1983: Sir James Wilson Robertson KT, GCMG, GCVO, KBE
References
- ^ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
- ^ University of Leeds List of Honorary Graduates: James Wilson Robertson 1961 Archived 10 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ theyworkforyou.com British Guiana Constitution (Report)
- ^ guyana.org Robertson Report
- ^ guyana.org The Suspension of the British Guiana Constitution
- ^ Worldstatesman.org Nigeria
- ^ "Sally Kuenssberg, CBE". BBC Scotland. 31 December 1999. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
- ^ "Nick Kuenssberg". Debretts. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
- ^ Kristy Dorsey (4 March 2013). "Business interview: Nick Kuenssberg". The Scotsman. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
- ^ The London Gazette, 3 June 1931
- ^ [pg 1886, Who's Who, 1982]
- ^ The London Gazette, 1 January 1948
- ^ The London Gazette, 1 June 1953
- ^ The London Gazette, 13 June 1957