Kenneth Blackburne

Sir Kenneth William Blackburne GCMG GBE (12 December 1907 – 4 November 1980) was a British colonial official who was the first Governor-General of Jamaica. He was knighted in 1952.

Sir Kenneth Blackburne
1st Governor-General of Jamaica
In office 6 August 1962 – 30 November 1962
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Prime Minister	Alexander Bustamante
Preceded by	Office Established
Succeeded by	Clifford Campbell
Governor of Jamaica
In office 18 December 1957 – 6 August 1962
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Preceded by	Lord Caradon
Succeeded by	Office Abolished Himself as Governor-General of Jamaica
Governor of the Leeward Islands
In office 1950–1956
Monarch	George VI Elizabeth II
Preceded by	Oliver Ridsdale Baldwin
Succeeded by	Alexander Thomas Williams
Personal details
Born	(1907-12-12)12 December 1907
Died	4 November 1980(1980-11-04) (aged 72)

Early life

Blackburne was born on 12 December 1907 in Bordon Camp, Bordon, Hampshire, England, the first son of The Very Reverend Harry William Blackburne. He attended Marlborough College and graduated from Clare College at the University of Cambridge with a degree in Modern Languages and Geography.[1]

Career

Blackburne entered the colonial service in 1930 and served in Nigeria, Palestine and the Gambia. He then served in the West Indies from 1943 to 1947 and subsequently as director of colonial information services in London from 1947 to 1950, before returning to the West Indies. He served as Governor of the Leeward Islands from 1950 to 1956 and as Governor of Jamaica from 1957 until 1962. When Jamaica received its independence in August 1962, Blackburne was appointed as the Governor-General; he served in that position for three months till 30 November 1962 when his Jamaican replacement, Sir Clifford Campbell, took office.[2]

Blackburne was also the patron of many organisations including the Commodore Royal Jamaica Yacht Club, the Amateur Swimming Association of Jamaica, the Jamaica Anti-Tuberculosis League, the Jamaica Automobile Association, the Jamaica Cricket Board of Control, the Jamaica Historical Society, and many others.[1]

Personal life and death

On 18 May 1935, Blackburne married Bridgette Senhouse Constant, the daughter of James Mackay Wilson and Alice (née Goldie-Taubman). They had a son, Martin Andrew (born July 1944), and a daughter, Jean Alice (born February 1948).[3] Blackburne was an Anglican and enjoyed tennis and sailing.[1] He died on 4 November 1980 in Douglas, Isle of Man.[4]

References

1. "Sir Kenneth William Blackburne". King's House. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
2. Wendell Bell (1964). Jamaican Leaders. University of California Press. p. 9.
3. "Lady Blackburne". King's House. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
4. Murray, Lorraine. "Sir Kenneth Blackburne". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 11 May 2020.

Government offices
Preceded by Lord Baldwin of Bewdley	Governor of the Leeward Islands 1950–1956	Succeeded by Sir Alexander Williams
Preceded by Sir Hugh Mackintosh Foot	Governor of Jamaica 1957–1962	Position abolished
New creation	Governor-General of Jamaica 1962	Succeeded by Sir Clifford Campbell