Sir Clifford Clarence Campbell (28 June 189228 September 1991) was a Jamaican educator and politician who served as speaker of the House and President of the Senate. In 1962, after Jamaica achieved independence, he was appointed as the first

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

-born and second

governor-general of Jamaica The governor-general of Jamaica is the viceregal representative of the Jamaican monarch, King Charles III, in Jamaica. The monarch, on the advice of the prime minister, appoints a governor-general as his or her representative in Jamaica. Bo ...

, serving in that position for more than a decade.

Early life and family

Clifford Campbell was born in

Petersfield, Jamaica Petersfield is a small town in Westmoreland Parish, Jamaica. It shares its name with five other places in Jamaica. The town was founded in the 18th century and named after Peter Beckford, a slave owner who settled the Roaring River Estate. Peter ...

on 28 June 1892, the son of civil servant James Campbell and his wife Blance ( née Ruddock). He was educated at Petersfield Elementary School and Mico Teachers' College. He became a schoolteacher and later was promoted to principal of three schools and headmaster in the parish. On 1 August 1920, Campbell married Alice Estephene. They had four children.

Political career and death

Campbell served as principal of the Grange Hill Government School from 1928 to 1944. In 1944, Campbell entered electoral politics as a member of the recently founded Jamaica Labour Party. He ran a successful campaign for a seat in the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

and chaired the House Committee on Education from 1945 to 1949. From 1945 to 1954, he was the Vice-President of the Elected Members' Association. In 1950, Campbell was elected as Speaker of the House. In 1962, he was elected as president of the Senate, serving from 31 August 1962 to 30 November 1962 after the nation became independent. A few months after

independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

, on 1 December 1962, Campbell was sworn in as Governor-General, succeeding

Kenneth Blackburne Sir Kenneth William Blackburne (12 December 1907 – 4 November 1980) was a British colonial official who was the first governor-general of Jamaica. He was knighted in 1952. Early life Blackburne was born on 12 December 1907 in Bordon Camp, B ...

. Campbell became the first Jamaican-born Governor-General and served until 2 March 1973. He died on 28 September 1991 at the age of 99.Jamaican History 9, 1984-1993, Geography and History of Jamaica (published by The Gleaner).
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Other ventures and recognition

Campbell was enthusiastic about the arts as well as community service. He sat on a number of boards, including the Board of Visitors to Sav-la-Mar Public Hospital, the Advisory Committee of the Knockalva Practical Training Centre, the Westmoreland School Board, the Westmoreland Rice Growers' Association, and the Manchester Committee of the Western Federation of Teachers. Additionally, Campbell was also a member of clubs and societies as the Jamaica National Choral and Orchestral Society, the Jamaica Youth Clubs Council, and the Jamaica Flying Club, of which he was president. He also contributed to other organisations such as the Jamaica Agricultural Society, the Jamaica Cancer Society, and the Jamaica Football Federation. Campbell was awarded the

Order of the Nation The Order of the Nation is a Jamaican honour. It is a part of the Jamaican honours system and was instituted in 1973 as the second-highest honour in the country, with the Order of National Hero being the highest honour. The Order of the Nation ...

(ON) and the

Order of Saint John The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headq ...

. He was also knighted by Queen Elizabeth II, first as Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Michael and St. George and later as Knight Grand Cross of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell, Clifford 1892 births 1991 deaths Governors-General of Jamaica Members of the House of Representatives of Jamaica Members of the Senate of Jamaica Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Knights of the Order of St John Recipients of the Order of the Nation Jamaica Labour Party politicians Speakers of the House of Representatives of Jamaica Alumni of Mico University College