| The Right Honourable Sir Humphrey Gibbs GCVO KCMG OBE |
|
|---|---|
| 29th Governor of Southern Rhodesia | |
| In office 28 December 1959 – 24 June 1969 |
|
| Preceded by | Sir Peveril William-Powlett |
| Succeeded by | 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 |
Sir Humphrey Vicary Gibbs, GCVO, KCMG, OBE (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.
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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 in the 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 while understanding what had made Smith's government declare the UDI, he was also equally loyal to his office as the Queen's viceroy. Deciding that final legality rested in the Crown and not Prime Minister Smith, he declared that by its action of the UDI, the Rhodesian Government had established itself as an outlaw regime.
So when Ian Smith and Deputy Prime Minister Clifford Dupont called on Gibbs after the UDI was signed, he formally dismissed Smith and his cabinet from office (though the Rhodesian Government simply ignored the dismissal, justifying this on the grounds that the UDI and new constitution made Gibbs' position redundant).
Several high-ranking officers of the Rhodesian Military did go to Gibbs earlier in the day and made a statement of loyalty to him, asking Gibbs to issue a warrant so that they could arrest Smith and Dupont, but Gibbs knew that bulk of the Officer Corps, as well as the rank and file of the Rhodesian military were solidly behind Smith's government and that such a move would lead to a coup d'état. Gibbs announced that despite the UDI, he had no intention of resigning his office or leaving Rhodesia, and that therefore, he would remain in Government House as the sole legal representative of Queen Elizabeth II (thus making Dupont's appointment by Smith as the Officer Administering the Government baseless in international law).
According to Gibbs' biographer (Alan J. Megahey), this action led to four years of harassment and petty afflictions by the Rhodesian Government, resulting in making Gibbs and his wife virtually prisoners in Government House. Megahey further stated that the Smith regime attempted to compel Gibbs to leave several times and isolated him from the people. However, with the assistance of a small staff, led by Sir John Pestell, he managed to remain defiant. In June 1969, Gibbs resigned after Smith's government ran and passed a referendum that year making Rhodesia a republic.
Gibbs resigned since as white voters had solidly supported the move towards Rhodesia becoming a republic, he felt that there was no further point in continuing to represent the Queen at that point. He left Government House and shortly afterwards travelled to take formal leave of the Queen in Britain.
He returned to Southern Rhodesia and lived the rest of his life on his farm (1970–1983) and latterly in Salisbury/Harare (1983–1990). He was appointed to the Privy Council and was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) by Queen Elizabeth II.
He died in Harare on 5 November 1990.[1][2][3]
Gibbs' wife, Molly Gibbs, née Peel Nelson, was awarded the DBE in 1969.