Humphrey Gibbs
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The Right Honourable Sir Humphrey Gibbs GCVO KCMG OBE |
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|---|---|
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| Governor of Southern Rhodesia | |
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In office 28 December 1959 – 24 June 1969 De facto: 28 December 1959 – 17 November 1965 |
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| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Preceded by | Sir Peveril William-Powlett |
| Succeeded by |
Clifford Dupont (Officer Administering the Government) Lord Soames |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
22 November 1902 London, England |
| Died | 5 November 1990 (aged 87) Harare, Zimbabwe |
| Spouse(s) | Dame Molly Gibbs, DBE |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Cambridge |
Sir Humphrey Vicary Gibbs, GCVO KCMG OBE PC (22 November 1902 – 5 November 1990) was the penultimate Governor of the colony of Southern Rhodesia (1959–1970) who served through, and opposed, the Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) in 1965.
Gibbs was born on 22 November 1902 in England, the third son of the first Baron Hunsdon. He was educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge. He moved to Southern Rhodesia in 1928, buying a farm at Nyamandhlovu near Bulawayo. Gibbs became active in farming administration and helped found the National Farmers Union. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly at the general election of 1948 as a United Party member; he served one term, standing down in 1954.
In 1959, Queen Elizabeth II appointed Gibbs Governor of Southern Rhodesia and appointed him a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in 1960. The Unilateral Declaration of Independence by the Rhodesian Front Government (under Prime Minister Ian Smith) in November 1965 placed Gibbs in a very difficult position. He was intensely loyal to Rhodesia, and was a close friend of Ian Smith, but he was also equally loyal to his office as the Queen's viceroy. While understanding what had made Smith's government declare the UDI, Gibbs decided that final legality rested with the Crown, not Smith and his government.
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