Sir Edward Henry Windley KCVO

KCMG KCMG may refer to * KC Motorgroup, based in Hong Kong, China * Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, British honour * KCMG-LP, radio station in New Mexico, USA * KCMG, callsign 1997-2001 of Los Angeles radio station KKLQ (FM) ...

(10 March 1909 – 5 January 1972) was a British colonial administrator who served as the second-to-last

Governor of the Gambia This is a list of colonial governors and administrators in the Gambia from the establishment of a British settlement on St Mary's Island, now known as Banjul Island, in 1816, through to the Gambia Colony and Protectorate's independence from the U ...

, from 1958 to 1962, before it achieved

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from the

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Early life and family

Windley was born in 1909, the son of Edward Crosland Windley and Florence de Toustain, Vicomtesse de Toustain. He was educated at

Repton School Repton School is a 13–18 Mixed-sex education, co-educational, Independent school (United Kingdom), independent, Day school, day and boarding school in the English Public school (United Kingdom), public school tradition, in Repton, Derbyshire, ...

and studied at

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from 1927 to 1930. Windley married Patience Ann Sergison-Brooke, the daughter of Sir Bertram Sergison-Brooke and Prudence Sergison, on 29 March 1939. They had a daughter, Davina, who married George Dawson-Damer, 7th Earl of Portarlington.

Career

Much of Windley's early career was spent as an administrator in

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

. He was appointed as a district officer of Narok District on 9 December 1936 and then as a district officer of Masai District, based in

Kajiado Kajiado is a town in Kajiado County, Kenya. The town is located south of Nairobi, along the Nairobi – Arusha highway ( A104 road). Kajiado has an urban population of 24,678 (2019 census). Local people are predominantly of the Maasai tribe. ...

, on 27 February 1938. He became the District Commissioner in Narok on 27 February 1945. On 30 January 1948, he was promoted to Deputy Provincial Commissioner of the Central Province in Kenya, serving under Aubrey Mullins. On 15 April 1948, he was appointed as Acting Provincial Commissioner of the Central Province, and on 18 October 1949, he was promoted to full Provincial Commissioner of Central Province. Windley went on leave in 1954 and returned on 15 January 1955 to serve as Chief Native Commissioner and Minister for African Affairs.''

Kenya Gazette The ''Kenya Gazette'' is an official publication of the government of the Republic of Kenya, a government gazette. Contents The ''Kenya Gazette'' publishes the following: * Notices of new legislation * Notices required to be published by law or ...

''
vol. LVII no. 5 p. 70.
1 February 1955. He served as

from 12 June 1958 to 29 March 1962. On 29 September 1959, a revised constitution drawn up by Windley was published. It established the

House of Representatives of the Gambia The House of Representatives of the Gambia was the legislature of the Gambia from 1960 to 1994, succeeding the Legislative Council and being succeeded by the National Assembly. History The House of Representatives was established by the 1959 con ...

, to replace the Legislative Council. One of his aims as Governor was to encourage a union between the Gambia and the neighbouring French colony of

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 � ...

, which achieved independence in 1960. Following the 1960 election, Windley made the controversial decision to appoint

Pierre Sarr N'Jie Pierre Sarr N'Jie (17 July 1909 – 11 December 1993) was a Gambian lawyer and politician who served as the Chief Minister of the Gambia from 1961 to 1962. He was the country's first head of government following the declaration of self-rule in ...

as the first Chief Minister of the Gambia despite the United Party not holding a majority in the House. For his services, he was made a

Knight Commander Commander ( it, Commendatore; french: Commandeur; german: Komtur; es, Comendador; pt, Comendador), or Knight Commander, is a title of honor prevalent in chivalric orders and fraternal orders. The title of Commander occurred in the medieval mili ...

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, o ...

(KCVO) and a Knight Commander of the

Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...

(KCMG). He retired from the civil service in 1962 after his time in the Gambia ended.

Death

He died in an aeroplane accident at

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, in January 1972.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Windley, Edward Colonial Administrative Service officers Governors of the Gambia Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George British Kenya people 1909 births 1972 deaths