John James Wrathall,

GCLM Glutamate-cysteine ligase regulatory subunit is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the ''GCLM'' gene. Glutamate-cysteine ligase, also known as gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase, is the first rate limiting enzyme of glutathione synthesis. Th ...

, ID (28 August 1913 – 31 August 1978), was a

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'' successor state to the British colony of S ...

n politician. He was the last

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

President of Rhodesia The president of Rhodesia was the head of state of Rhodesia from 1970 to 1979. As Rhodesia reckoned itself a parliamentary republic rather than a presidential republic at the time, the president's post was almost entirely ceremonial, and the r ...

(later holders of the post were only acting as such). He formerly worked as a chartered accountant.

Early life

Wrathall was born in Lancaster in

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

, and went to

Lancaster Royal Grammar School Lancaster Royal Grammar School (LRGS) is a selective grammar school (day and boarding) for boys aged 11–18 in Lancaster, Lancashire, England. Old students belong to The Old Lancastrians. The school's sixth form opened to girls in 2019. LRGS i ...

.''Current World Leaders: biography and news, Volumes 20-21''
Almanac of Current World Leaders, 1977, page 2 Having qualified as a chartered accountant in 1935, he emigrated to

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 ...

the next year. He worked for the Southern Rhodesian Government in its income tax department for the next ten years.

Rhodesian career

In 1946 Wrathall set up in private practice as an accountant in

Bulawayo Bulawayo (, ; Ndebele: ''Bulawayo'') is the second largest city in Zimbabwe, and the largest city in the country's Matabeleland region. The city's population is disputed; the 2022 census listed it at 665,940, while the Bulawayo City Council cl ...

and also became involved in politics. In 1949 he was elected to Bulawayo City Council, where he served for a decade.''Africa Research Bulletin''
Blackwell, 1978, page 4967 Wrathall was elected to the Legislative Assembly for Bulawayo South in the 1954 general election, as a member of the

United Federal Party The United Federal Party (UFP) was a political party in the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. History The UFP was formed in November 1957 by a merger of the Federal Party, which had operated at the federal level, and the Southern Rhodesian ...

, then led by

Garfield Todd Sir Reginald Stephen Garfield Todd (13 July 1908 – 13 October 2002) was a liberal Prime Minister of Rhodesia, Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia from 1953 to 1958 and later became an opponent of white minority rule in Rhodesia. Background T ...

, but stood down after one term in 1958.

Ministerial office

By 1962 Wrathall was no longer a supporter of the United Federal Party and became a founder member of 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 ...

under

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 Smith. ...

. He was elected in Bulawayo North in the December 1962 election under the RF banner, defeating the incumbent, Cyril Hatty, by 67 votes. As one of the party's most experienced members, in October 1963 he was made Minister of African Education. A month later he also took on the Ministry of Health, which was being transferred from the

Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, also known as the Central African Federation or CAF, was a colonial federation that consisted of three southern African territories: the Self-governing colony, self-governing British colony of Southe ...

on its demise at the end of 1963. Wrathall was among the members of the Rhodesian Front who deposed Winston Field and instead installed

Ian Smith Ian Douglas Smith (8 April 1919 – 20 November 2007) was a Rhodesian politician, farmer, and fighter pilot who served as Prime Minister of Rhodesia (known as Southern Rhodesia until October 1964 and now known as Zimbabwe) from 1964 to ...

as Prime Minister in April 1964. Smith promoted him to be Minister of Finance and of Posts and Telecommunications. As such, he was one of the signatories to the Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) on 11 November 1965. He was

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, ...

from 7 September 1966. Known as "the quiet man of Rhodesian politics", he nevertheless was a key figure in the secret struggle against United Nations sanctions imposed after UDI. As Minister of Finance, Wrathall also oversaw the adoption of a new decimal currency to replace the

Rhodesian pound The pound was the currency of Southern Rhodesia from 1964 to 1965 and Rhodesia from 1965 until 1970. It was subdivided into 20 ''shillings'', each of 12 ''pence''. History The Rhodesian pound was introduced following the break-up of the Federati ...

, known as the

Rhodesian dollar The Rhodesian dollar (''R$ or Rh$'', ) was the currency of Rhodesia between 1970 and 1980. It was subdivided into 100 cents. History The dollar was introduced on 17 February 1970, less than a month before the declaration of a republic on 2 Mar ...

, a name which he regarded as having international substance. In July 1973 Wrathall ceded his responsibility as Minister of Posts; during the 1974 general election he stood down from the House of Assembly and transferred to the Senate. In 1975 he presented his 12th (and last) consecutive Budget as Rhodesia's longest serving

Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...

Presidency

In 1976, Wrathall became the second

, succeeding

Clifford Dupont Clifford Walter Dupont, Grand Commander of the Legion of Merit, GCLM, Independence Decoration (Rhodesia), ID (6 December 1905 – 28 June 1978) was a UK, British-born Rhodesian politician who served in the internationally unrecognised positions ...

. On 14 January of that year, he was sworn in as president by the Chief Justice, Sir Hugh Beadle, in a ceremony at Government House witnessed by Prime Minister Ian Smith and his

Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...

ministers. Wrathall served for two and a half years, and died in office of a heart attack.''The Great Betrayal: The Memoirs of Ian Douglas Smith''
Ian Douglas Smith, Blake Publishing Limited, 1997, page 266

References

External links

Rhodesian Prime Minister, Ian Smith, President John Wrathall and his wife Doreen, attend opening of Parliament in Salisbury
22 June 1977, AP Archive
Funeral of President John Wrathall – 5000 line streets
7 September 1978, AP Archive , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Wrathall, John 1913 births 1978 deaths People from Lancaster, Lancashire White Rhodesian people People educated at Lancaster Royal Grammar School Presidents of Rhodesia Deputy Prime Ministers of Rhodesia Members of the Legislative Assembly of Southern Rhodesia Members of the Parliament of Rhodesia Finance ministers of Rhodesia Rhodesian Front politicians British emigrants to Rhodesia Zimbabwean people of English descent Signatories of Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence