John Rankine (colonial administrator)

Sir John Dalzell Rankine KCMG KCVO KStJ (8 June 1907 – 19 February 1987) was a British colonial administrator.

Sir
John Dalzell Rankine
Acting Governor of Fiji
In office
12 January 1944 – 4 May 1944
MonarchGeorge VI
Preceded bySir Philip Mitchell
Succeeded bySir John Nicoll (acting)
Acting Governor of Fiji
In office
23 October 1944 – 1 January 1945
MonarchGeorge VI
Preceded bySir John Nicoll (acting)
Succeeded bySir Alexander Grantham
9th Resident of Zanzibar
In office
1952–1954
MonarchElizabeth II
Sultan of ZanzibarKhalifa bin Harub
Preceded byVincent Glenday
Succeeded byHenry Steven Potter
1st Governor of Western Nigeria
In office
1 October 1954 – July 1960
MonarchElizabeth II
PremierObafemi Awolowo
Samuel Akintola
Preceded byNone (new office)
Succeeded bySir Adesoji Aderemi
Personal details
Born
John Dalzell Rankine

8 June 1907
Died19 February 1987(1987-02-19) (aged 79)
NationalityBritish
Spouse(s)Janet Grace Austin, Lady Rankine
(1939–1976, her death)
Children1 daughter
Alma materExeter College, Oxford
OccupationColonial administrator

Early life and career

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Rankine studied at Christ's College, in Christchurch, New Zealand, and went on to graduate from Exeter College, Oxford, in 1930. After starting out as a cadet in Uganda in 1931, he became Assistant Secretary to the East African Governor's Conference in 1939 and First Assistant Secretary in 1942.

Senior administrative positions

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Rankine served as Assistant Colonial Secretary of Fiji from 1942 to 1945; during this period he twice acted as Governor in an interim capacity. He subsequently became Colonial Secretary of Barbados from 1945 to 1947, then Chief Secretary of Kenya from 1947 to 1951. During this time he also presided over Kenya's Development and Reconstruction Authority.[1]

Rankine served as Resident of Zanzibar from 1952 to 1954, an office his father, Richard Rankine, had previously held from 1929 to 1937. Officially, the office of Resident in the British Protectorate was equivalent to that of an Ambassador. In reality, it made him a colonial governor in all but name, as the Resident was ex officio vizier to the Sultan of Zanzibar and held all effective power.[2] He went on to become Governor of Western Nigeria from 1954 to 1960, when Nigeria became independent.

Rankine was honoured with the CMG in the 1947 Birthday Honours,[3] KCMG in 1954, Brilliant Star of Zanzibar, 1st Class in 1954, KCVO in 1956, and KStJ in 1958.[4]

Government offices
Preceded by Acting Governor of Fiji
1944
Succeeded by
Preceded by Acting Governor of Fiji
1944–1945
Succeeded by
Preceded by Resident of Zanzibar
1944–1945
Succeeded by
New office Governor of Western Nigeria
1944–1945
Succeeded by

References

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  1. ^ Jacoby-Lopez, M. "Sir John Dalzell Rankine". Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  2. ^ Bakari, Mohammed Ali (2001). The Democratisation Process in Zanzibar: A Retarded Transition. GIGA-Hamburg. p. 48. Retrieved 19 August 2015 – via Internet Archive. British resident of Zanzibar.
  3. ^ "No. 37977". The London Gazette (Supplement). 6 June 1947. pp. 2575–2576.
  4. ^ "Papers of Sir John Dalzell Rankine". Bodleian Library, University of Oxford. Retrieved 19 August 2015.