Alfred Musgrave Merriweather OBE, CBE (19 August 1918 – 8 October 1999)[1] was a Scottish missionary in Botswana, who was a member of the National Assembly of Botswana and its first Speaker.[2] He helped improve public health in Botswana.[3]

Alfred Merriweather
Speaker of the National Assembly of Botswana
In office
1965–1968
Preceded byPost created
Succeeded byAlbert Frank Lock
Personal details
Born19 August 1918
Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Died8 October 1999
Molepolole, Botswana

Biography edit

Merriweather was born in Yorkshire, and lived later in Glasgow.[1]

He moved to Molepolole in Bechuanaland Protectorate in 1944 to work in the Scottish Livingstone Hospital. His medical reputation allowed him to become medical adviser to the Seretse Khama, first President of Botswana. Merriweather was elected as the speaker of the Legislative Assembly, and as the first speaker of the National Assembly when Botswana became independent.

He gained a PhD in Medicine from the University of Edinburgh in 1956.[4]

He died in Molepolole in 1999.[1]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "Rev Dr Alfred Merriweather". HeraldScotland.
  2. ^ "Former Speakers of Parliament". 27 June 2009. Archived from the original on 27 June 2009.
  3. ^ Fred Morton; Jeff Ramsay; Part Themba Mgadla (2008). "Merriweather, Alfred Musgrave". Historical Dictionary of Botswana. Scarecrow Press. p. 217. ISBN 978-0-8108-6404-7.
  4. ^ Merriweather, Alfred Musgrave (1956). Extravenereal treponematosis ('dichuchwa') in the Bakwena Reserve of the Bechuanaland Protectorate: a study of a common childhood infection from the social, epidemiological, clinical, therapeutic and control aspects. era.ed.ac.uk (Report). Retrieved 31 March 2020.