Elmira Minita Gordon

Dame Elmira Minita Gordon GCMG GCVO JP (born 30 December 1930) was the first Governor General of Belize from its independence in 1981-1993.^[1] Gordon is to date the only woman to have served as Governor General of Belize. She was also the first trained Belizean psychologist having received both a Masters and Doctorate Degree in psychology. She is one of the very few "double dames", having, in her case, been knighted in two separate orders: the Order of St Michael and St George and the Royal Victorian Order.

Biography

Elmira Minita Gordon was born 30 December 1930 in Belize City, British Honduras.^[2] She grew up in Belize City and attended St. John's Girls' School and then St. Mary's Primary. She continued her education at St. George's Teacher's College ^[3] and furthered her studies through a correspondence course from the College of Preceptors, Oxford, England. She began teaching at an Anglican school and was a missionary throughout Belize between 1946 and 1958. From 1959 to 1969, she was a lecturer at the Belize Teacher's Training College,^[4] after which, from 1969 to 1981, she was a Government Education Officer.^[2]

Gordon completed her postgraduate education at the University of Nottingham and University of Birmingham in England and the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada.^[3] Between 1977 and 1980, Gordon was in Canada where she served on the Educational Psychology Programme Planning Committee and was a member of the Toronto Leather Craft Club. She earned her master's degree in Educational Psychology and then a Doctorate in Applied Psychology from the University of Toronto, Canada,^[4] becoming the first trained Belizean psychologist.

She returned from her studies in 1980^[3] and in 1981 was appointed Governor General of Belize.^[5] She succeeded James P. I. Hennessy, last Governor General of British Honduras, and became the first Governor General of Belize upon Belizean's gaining their Independence.^[6]

Gordon was the first woman to be appointed as Governor General, or the queen's representative, of a Commonwealth realm.^[7] She was promoted to both Dame Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (DCMG)^[8] and Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (DCVO).^[9]

Dame Elmira Gordon was a member of the girl guides from 1946,^[3] and in 1970 became the District Commissioner of the Girl Guides for the Belize district.^[4] She became a Justice of the Peace in 1974^[3] and a senior Justice of the Peace in 1987.^[2] Gordon received a lifetime membership of the British Red Cross in 1975,^[3] and in the Belizean Red Cross in 1981. In addition to her public works, Gordon was a master leather crafts artisan having won numerous prizes for her works.^[2]

References

Sources

• Lentz, Harris M. (2014). Heads of States and Governments Since 1945. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-26490-2. 
• Sleeman, Elizabeth (2001). The International Who's Who of Women 2002. Psychology Press. ISBN 978-1-85743-122-3.