Jack Pithey

The Honourable Jack Pithey GLM, ICD, CBE
Jack William Pithey
Acting President of Rhodesia
In office 1 November 1978 – 5 March 1979
Prime Minister	Ian Smith
Preceded by	Henry Everard
Succeeded by	Henry Everard
President of the Senate of Rhodesia
In office 1970 – 1 November 1978
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	John Richard Strong[1]
Personal details
Born	(1903-12-30)30 December 1903[2] Potchefstroom, Colony of the Transvaal (now North West Province, South Africa)
Died	20 November 1984(1984-11-20) (aged 80)[3]
Political party	Rhodesian Front
Spouse	Mary Wood ​ (m. 1931)​
Children	3, including Tony and David
Awards

Jack William Pithey GLM ICD CBE (30 December 1903 – 20 November 1984[3]) was a Rhodesian politician who served as the unrecognised state's Acting President between 1 November 1978 and 5 March 1979.[4] He was also the President of the Senate of Rhodesia from 1970 to 1978[5][6] having previously been Member of Parliament for the Avondale constituency in north-west Salisbury (now Harare) between 1964 and 1970.[2]

Biography

Jack Pithey was born in Potchefstroom in the Transvaal on 30 December 1903; he moved to Rhodesia on 5 September 1923. He was Secretary for Justice and Internal Affairs between 1958 and 1961 during the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, and later the Secretary for Justice in Rhodesia between 1962 and 1963. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1963 New Year Honours.[7]

Family

He married Mary Wood on 1 September 1931; they had two sons and a daughter. Both his sons, Tony and David Pithey, represented Rhodesia in cricket and played Test cricket for South Africa. He died on 20 November 1984,[3] and his Rhodesian estate was subsequently liquidated.

Awards

• Legion of Merit (Grand Officer - Civilian) (GLM)
• Independence Commemorative Decoration (ICD)
• Order of the British Empire (Commander) (CBE)

References

1. "Translations on Sub-Saharan Africa". 1978.
2. Who's who of Southern Africa. Ken Donaldson (Pty.) Limited. 1979. p. 1124. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
3. "Zimbabwean Government Gazette Vol. LXIII, No. 11" (PDF). Zimbabwean Government.
4. Report of the Commission Appointed to Divide Rhodesia into Twenty-three Constituencies, 1978, Hector Norman Macdonald Govt. printer, 1978, page 1
5. Votes and Proceedings of the Senate, Parliament of Rhodesia, 1970
6. Votes and Proceedings of the Senate, Parliament of Rhodesia, 1977
7. "No. 42870". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 December 1962. p. 23.

• Newitt, Louise, ed. (1977). Prominent Rhodesian Personalities. Salisbury: Cover Publicity Services.

Political offices
Preceded by Henry Everard	Acting President of Rhodesia 1978–1979	Succeeded by Henry Everard