Gordon Lethem

Sir Gordon James Lethem KCMG
Governor of British Guiana
Governor of the Seychelles
Personal details
Born	(1886-09-16)16 September 1886 Leith, Scotland
Died	14 August 1962(1962-08-14) (aged 75) Eskdalemuir, Scotland

Sir Gordon James Lethem, KCMG (16 September 1886 – 14 August 1962)[1] was a British colonial administrator.[2]

Biography

He was born in Leith, Scotland, the son of James Lethem and Marian Macintosh.[3]

He was Governor of the Seychelles from 1934 to 1936; Governor of the Leeward Islands from 1936 to 1941;[4] and Governor of British Guiana from 7 November 1941 to 1946.[3] He was acting Governor from 1946 to 12 April 1947. He also served in Nigeria. Lethem's papers are held in Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford.[1]

After retiring from the civil service he became involved in politics. He was a member of the Liberal Party. In 1950 he was Vice-President of the Scottish Liberal Party.[5] He stood as a Liberal candidate at the United Kingdom general election of 1950 in the constituency of Banffshire. He finished third and did not stand for parliament again.[6]

He died at his home in Eskdalemuir on 15 August 1962.[3]

The city of Lethem, Guyana is named after him.

References

1. "Collection: Papers of Sir Gordon James Lethem | Bodleian Archives & Manuscripts".
2. "Sir Gordon James Lethem, KCMG, (1934-1935)". Seychelles National Archive. 24 November 2017.
3. "Sir Gordon Lethem: Former Colonial Governor". The Times. No. 55471. London. 16 August 1962. p. 12. Retrieved 21 June 2024 – via The Times Digital Archive.
4. "New Governor of British Guiana". The Times. No. 48969. London. 4 July 1941. p. 3. Retrieved 21 June 2024 – via The Times Digital Archive.
5. "Lethem, Sir Gordon James", Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2014; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2014; online edn, April 2014 accessed 17 Sept 2014
6. British Parliamentary Election Results 1950-1973 by FWS Craig

• "Papers of Sir Gordon James Lethem" Bodleian Library

Government offices
Preceded by Sir de Symons Montagu George Honey	Governor of the Seychelles 1934–1936	Succeeded by Arthur Francis Grimble
Preceded by Sir Thomas St. Johnston	Governor of the Leeward Islands 1936–1941	Succeeded by Sir Douglas James Jardine
Preceded by Sir Wilfrid Edward Francis Jackson	Governor of British Guiana 1941–1947	Succeeded by Sir Charles Campbell Woolley