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Clifford Walter Dupont, GCLM, ID (6 December 1905 – 28 June 1978) was a
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
-born
Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' Succession of states, successor state to th ...
n politician who served in the internationally unrecognised positions of officer administrating the government (from 1965 until 1970) and
president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
(from 1970 to 1975). Born in London and qualifying as a solicitor, Dupont served during the Second World War as an officer of the British
Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...
in North Africa before first visiting
Southern Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia was a landlocked self-governing British Crown colony in southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The region was informally kno ...
in 1947. He returned a year later, started a ranch and emigrated full-time during the early 1950s, by which time the country had become a territory of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. When Rhodesia's government under Ian Smith issued the Unilateral Declaration of Independence from Britain on 11 November 1965, Dupont, as
Deputy Prime Minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, ...
, was the second to sign. Smith attempted to have Dupont named as Governor-General in place of the British-appointed Governor, Humphrey Gibbs, but failing this instead made him
Officer Administering the Government An administrator (administrator of the government or officer administering the government) in the constitutional practice of some countries in the Commonwealth is a person who fulfils a role similar to that of a governor or a governor-general. ...
. He held this post until 1970, when he became
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
following the declaration of a republic. After suffering from ill health during this last appointment, he retired at 1976 and died in 1978.


Early life

Of
Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Bez ...
ancestry, Dupont was born in London on 6 December 1905, to Alfred Walter and Winifred Mary Dupont into a family which consisted of two older brothers and an elder, and subsequently a younger sister. His father founded a commercial firm dealing largely in the "rag trade". Dupont himself was educated at
Bishop's Stortford College Bishop's Stortford College is a independent day and boarding school in the English public school tradition for more than 1,200 pupils aged 4–18, situated in a campus on the edge of the market town of Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, Englan ...
and
Clare College, Cambridge Clare College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the University after Peterhouse. It was refounded ...
where he read law.''The International Who's Who''
Europa Publications Limited, 1974, page 467
He qualified as a solicitor in 1929 and set up his own firm in 1933. Having served in the
Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...
Officer Training Corps while at university, on the outbreak of World War II he was commissioned into the Artillery and served as an adjutant for a light anti-aircraft battalion. He served in North Africa and was on General
Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...
's staff during the liberation of Europe in 1944; he ended the war as a War Office official.


Move to Rhodesia

In 1947 Dupont briefly visited
Southern Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia was a landlocked self-governing British Crown colony in southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The region was informally kno ...
, returning in 1948. He bought land at Featherstone, south of Salisbury (now Harare), which he turned into a successful cattle ranch. He emigrated full time in the early 1950s – by which time the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland had come into being, including Southern Rhodesia as a territory – but was not initially involved in politics. Tragedy struck him several times later in the decade: in 1957 his second wife died, and in 1958 his son and daughter were both killed in an air crash.


Politics

He entered politics in 1958, winning on the
Dominion Party The Dominion Party was a political party in the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, led by Winston Field. History The party was established in 1956 by a merger of several political groups and the remains of the Confederate Party, which had di ...
ticket in the Fort Victoria (now Masvingo) federal constituency. Four years later, he became the member for Charter in the Southern Rhodesian parliament, this time standing for the
Rhodesian Front The Rhodesian Front was a right-wing conservative political party in Southern Rhodesia, subsequently known as Rhodesia. It was the last ruling party of Southern Rhodesia prior to that country's unilateral declaration of independence, and the rul ...
(RF). At the same time, he was appointed Minister for Justice. However, Dupont was not pleased with the performance of the Prime Minister,
Winston Field Winston Joseph Field (6 June 1904 – 17 March 1969) was a Rhodesian politician who served as the seventh Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia. Field was a former Dominion Party MP who founded the Rhodesian Front political party with Ian Smit ...
, and after Field's failure to win independence from the United Kingdom in 1963 following the dissolution of the Central African Federation, he and Desmond Lardner-Burke, known as "the cowboys", joined forces to overthrow Field and install Ian Smith as prime minister. In October 1964, Dupont thwarted Sir
Roy Welensky Sir Roland "Roy" Welensky, (''né'' Raphael Welensky; 20 January 1907 – 5 December 1991) was a Northern Rhodesian politician and the second and last Prime Minister of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. Born in Salisbury, Southern Rh ...
's attempt to re-enter politics in Rhodesia following the break-up of the Federation.Clifford Dupont, First President of Rhodesia, Dies
'' The Washington Post'', 29 June 1978
Welensky had assumed the leadership of the opposition UFP (which he renamed the Rhodesia Party), and was contesting a by-election in Arundel, but Dupont deliberately resigned his constituency in Charter to oppose him.''East Africa and Rhodesia''
Volume 41, Africana, 1964, page 4
Dupont soundly defeated Welensky by 1079 votes to 633.''So Far and No Further: Rhodesia's Bid for Independence During the Retreat from Empire 1959 - 196''
JRT Wood, Trafford, 2004, page 239
Forming a close relationship with the rising RF politician Ian Smith, Dupont assisted in the latter's becoming prime minister in 1964 and was consequently promoted to become Smith's deputy. As
Deputy Prime Minister of Rhodesia The Deputy Prime Minister of Rhodesia was the deputy head of government of Rhodesia (Southern Rhodesia until 1964), serving under the Prime Minister of Rhodesia. Rhodesia, which became a self-governing colony of the United Kingdom in 1923, unil ...
, he held the portfolio of External Affairs, and added Defence in June 1965.


UDI role

From August 1964 Dupont was deputy prime minister of Rhodesia, and served as Smith's minister of external affairs (adding also the Defence portfolio from June 1965). When Smith issued the Unilateral Declaration of Independence on 11 November 1965, Dupont was the second signatory to the UDI document. Smith's government initially continued to profess loyalty to
Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
. Accordingly, it continued to recognise Elizabeth as head of state, with
oaths of allegiance An oath of allegiance is an oath whereby a subject or citizen acknowledges a duty of allegiance and swears loyalty to a monarch or a country. In modern republics, oaths are sworn to the country in general, or to the country's constitution. For ...
to "Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth, Queen of Rhodesia, her heirs and successors". At the same time, Smith's government ceased to recognise the authority of her ''de jure'' representative, the Governor
Sir Humphrey Gibbs Sir Humphrey Vicary Gibbs, (22 November 19025 November 1990), was the penultimate Governor of the colony of Southern Rhodesia, from 24 October 1964 simply Rhodesia, who served until, and opposed, the Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI ...
. When Gibbs formally dismissed Smith and his entire cabinet on orders from Whitehall, Smith maintained that Gibbs' reserve power to sack the government no longer existed.Ian Smith Strips Gibbs Of All Official Privilege
Associated Press, ''
The Morning Record The ''Record-Journal'' is an American daily newspaper based in Meriden, Connecticut, that dates back to the years immediately following the American Civil War. It is owned by the Record-Journal Publishing Company, a family-owned business enti ...
'', 18 November 1965
Instead, on 17 November, it appointed Dupont to the post of " Acting Officer Administering the Government".''East Africa and Rhodesia''
Volume 42, Africana, 1965, pages 339, 464
''Bulletin''
Volumes 3-4, Africa Institute of South Africa, 1965, pages 12-13
Opponents of UDI who considered it an illegal move, such as the independent member of the Legislative Assembly
Ahrn Palley Ahrn Palley (13 February 1914 – 6 May 1993) was an independent politician in Rhodesia who criticised the Smith administration and the Unilateral Declaration of Independence.
, refused to recognise Dupont's office, and walked out of the opening of Parliament when Dupont came to deliver the
Speech from the Throne A speech from the throne, or throne speech, is an event in certain monarchies in which the reigning sovereign, or a representative thereof, reads a prepared speech to members of the nation's legislature when a session is opened, outlining th ...
. On 2 December 1965, Smith wrote a personal letter to the Queen asking her to accept Dupont as Governor-General of Rhodesia. In response, the Queen replied, "Her Majesty is not able to entertain purported advice of this kind, and has therefore been pleased to direct that no action shall be taken upon it". Smith was attempting to assert his claimed prerogatives as Her Majesty's Rhodesian prime minister. However, the UK, with the near-unanimous support of the international community, maintained that Gibbs was the Queen's only legitimate representative in what it still considered to be the colony of Southern Rhodesia, and hence the only lawful authority in the area. Under the 1965 Constitution, if the Queen did not appoint a governor-general within fourteen days of advice being tendered by the prime minister, a regent was to be appointed. In deference to the royal family, however, on 16 December, Smith amended his original plan and Dupont was appointed as officer administering the government.''Rhodesia and the United Nations: UN Imposition of Mandatory Sanctions 1966''
Avrahm G. Mezerik, International Review Service, 1966, pages 39-40
He would continue to use the title until the declaration of a republic in 1970. In a referendum held on 24 June 1969, the predominantly white electorate approved a new constitution making Rhodesia a republic, with the
president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
as ceremonial head of state. A bill to that effect was passed by the Legislative Assembly on 17 November, and was signed into law by Dupont on 27 November. Dupont's last duty as officer administrating the government was to sign the proclamation of a republic on 2 March 1970.


Presidency

Following the declaration of a republic on 2 March 1970, Dupont was made interim president pending the elections under a new constitution on 10 April. When Rhodesia was formally declared a republic, Parliament elected Dupont as
president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
on 14 April. During the latter period of his term he suffered long bouts of ill health, and retired on 31 December 1975.


Personal life

Clifford and Barbara Dupont married in London in 1933. They divorced in 1942 after having two children: Hilary and Graham. Graham died in childhood in England in 1942. In 1946, he married his second wife Betty Wood at Kensington Registry Office. Wood was fifteen years his junior. In 1947, they had a son, Stephen. Betty died in 1957 in Salisbury, and was buried in Warren Hills. His two children, Hilary and Stephen, were killed in 1958 when their
Central African Airways Central African Airways (CAA) was a supranational airline corporation serving as flag carrier for Southern Rhodesia, Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland (respectively the present day countries of Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi), which were organised as ...
plane crashed near
Benghazi Benghazi () , ; it, Bengasi; tr, Bingazi; ber, Bernîk, script=Latn; also: ''Bengasi'', ''Benghasi'', ''Banghāzī'', ''Binghāzī'', ''Bengazi''; grc, Βερενίκη ('' Berenice'') and ''Hesperides''., group=note (''lit. Son of he Ghaz ...
. On 23 May 1963, he married Armenell Mary Betty Bennet (1929-2000), originally from Cornwall, who was a branch organiser for the
Rhodesian Front The Rhodesian Front was a right-wing conservative political party in Southern Rhodesia, subsequently known as Rhodesia. It was the last ruling party of Southern Rhodesia prior to that country's unilateral declaration of independence, and the rul ...
. They had no children. Armenell died on 10 April 2000 in
Harare Harare (; formerly Salisbury ) is the capital and most populous city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of 940 km2 (371 mi2) and a population of 2.12 million in the 2012 census and an estimated 3.12 million in its metropolitan ...
. On 27 June 1978, Dupont died while undergoing radium treatment for what was believed to be cancer.''Africa Research Bulletin''
Blackwell, 1978, page 4900


Publications

*


References


External links


Rhodesian Government Administrator Clifford Dupont Television Address
Associated Press Archive The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
, 22 February 1966
Rhodesian Parliament Opens (1968)
British Pathé British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
, - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Dupont, Clifford 1905 births 1978 deaths Lawyers from London White Rhodesian people Rhodesian Front politicians Presidents of Rhodesia Deputy Prime Ministers of Rhodesia British Army personnel of World War II Royal Artillery officers Alumni of Clare College, Cambridge Foreign ministers of Rhodesia People educated at Bishop's Stortford College British emigrants to Rhodesia Signatories of Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence 20th-century English lawyers Members of the Legislative Assembly of Southern Rhodesia Members of the Rhodesia and Nyasaland Federal Assembly Defence Ministers of Zimbabwe