Neil Housman Wilson (1886–1960) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

-born

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 kn ...

n journalist and politician who became a member of the Southern Rhodesian parliament in 1933.

Career

Wilson was born in

Suffolk, England Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

and a grandson of George Housman Thomas. He emigrated to Southern Rhodesia when he was 20 years old to join the British South Africa Police (B.S.A.P.). He then joined the Native Department during which time he was co-founder and first General Secretary of the Southern Rhodesia Public Services’ Association, and first editor of the ''Rhodesia Services’ Record''. In 1922, he was elected General Secretary of the Public Services Association and it was in this capacity that he served as an Advisory Member of the Southern Rhodesian delegation at the Terms of Union Convention, Cape Town. In 1923, he founded the ''Native Affairs Department Annual'' (NADA) and was its first editor. That year he transferred to the Ministry of Lands and Agriculture and was appointed Secretary to the Minister. He retired from public service in 1924 to take up farming. While still farming he published a manifesto for a Progressive Responsible Government Party, and a couple of years later founded a newspaper ''The Spokesman.'' As the elected chairman of the Progressive Party he negotiated the amalgamation with the Country Party and Labour Party to form the Reform Party, of which he became the first chairman and then President. In 1933, he became a member of parliament (M.P.) for Salisbury Central, becoming one of the M.P.s who made up the 3rd Legislative Assembly of Southern Rhodesia. In 1934 he was adviser to the Southern Rhodesia Delegation when Godfrey Huggins went to negotiate a new Railway Agreement in Cape Town. Wilson was co-founder of the

Capricorn Africa Society The Capricorn Africa Society was a multiracial pressure group in British colonies in southern and eastern Africa in the 1950s and 1960s. History The organisation was established in 1949 in Southern Rhodesia by David Stirling and N. H. Wilson, with ...

and chairman of its African Affairs Committee until 1954. He also founded and was secretary of the White Rhodesia Association and the founder of the Southern Rhodesia Association. He was at one time: general secretary of the Dominion Party; president of the Immigration and Development Association of Rhodesia; and, chairman of the Central Africa Wing of the League of Empire Loyalists. Wilson at different times edited the magazine ''NADA'', the ''Sunday Mail'' and ''The New Rhodesia'' (which he also founded). He was the author of several pamphlets and in addition to writing articles for various publications including the ''

Rhodesia Herald ''The Herald'' is a state-owned daily newspaper published in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe. History Origins The newspaper's origins date back to the 19th century. Its forerunner was launched on 27 June 1891 by William Fairbridge for the Ar ...

'', he was a correspondent for ''The'' ''Manchester Guardian''.

Works

* Progressive Responsible Government Party: Statement of Aims (1926) *Rhodesia, A Nation (1934) *Notes on the Mining Industry in Southern Rhodesia (ca. 1934) * Idar: Large Scale Planned Immigration into Southern Rhodesia (1946) * Challenge of Africa (1949) * Native Policy for Africa, with D. Stirling (1951) * Federation and the African, with Abel Nyirenda and T.J. Hlazo (1952) * Central African Dilemma (1954)

References

External References

N.H. Wilson: Populism in Rhodesian Politics, by I.H. Wetherell
at OpenDocs
Works by N.H Wilson
at the

Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second- ...

Wilsons Writing NADA, by Clare Fryer
at Blurb, Inc {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Neil Housman 1886 births 1960 deaths British emigrants to Rhodesia Rhodesian politicians Rhodesian writers Rhodesian journalists 20th-century journalists Members of the Legislative Assembly of Southern Rhodesia British South Africa Police officers