John Stuart Macpherson

Sir John Stuart Macpherson GCMG
Sir John Stuart Macpherson to the left, Akenzua II in the middle, and the 2nd Earl of Plymouth to the right. Benin city, Nigeria, 1935
1st Governor-General of Nigeria
In office 1 October 1954 – 15 June 1955
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Preceded by	Himself (as Governor)
Succeeded by	James Wilson Robertson
Governor of Nigeria
In office 5 February 1948 – 1 October 1954
Monarchs	George VI Elizabeth II
Preceded by	Arthur Richards
Succeeded by	Himself (as Governor-general)
Personal details
Born	(1898-08-25)25 August 1898 Edinburgh, Scotland
Died	5 November 1971(1971-11-05) (aged 73) United Kingdom
Education	George Watson's College University of Edinburgh.
Occupation	Civil servant
Military service
Branch/service	British Army
Unit	Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders

Sir John Stuart Macpherson, GCMG (25 August 1898 – 5 November 1971), was a British colonial administrator who served as the governor of Nigeria from 1948 to 1954, and as governor-general from 1954 to 1955.

Early life

Born in Edinburgh, the son of a hotel manager, Macpherson was educated at George Watson's College and at the University of Edinburgh.[1] In 1917, he was commissioned into the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders; he was wounded in action on the Western Front, and had to wear a steel corset for the rest of his life.[1]

Career

After World War I, Macpherson entered the Malayan Civil Service. Between 1933 and 1935 he was seconded to the Colonial Office. He was appointed Principal Assistant Secretary in Nigeria in 1937 and Chief Secretary of Palestine in 1939, serving there until 1943.[1] In 1943 he was posted to Washington as Head of British Colonies Supply Mission and joint British Chairman of Anglo-American Caribbean Commission. Between 1945 and 1948 he was Comptroller for Development and Welfare in the West Indies and British co-Chairman of the Caribbean Commission.[1]

In 1948, Macpherson was appointed Governor of Nigeria (Governor-General from 1954), serving in that post until his retirement in 1955; he was succeeded by James Wilson Robertson. As Governor, Macpherson was responsible for the introduction of the 1951 Constitution (unofficially known as the Macpherson Constitution), which provided for "semi-responsible government".[2] He also accelerated the Africanization of the Nigerian public service.[1]

After his governorship, Macpherson served as the Chairman of the United Nations Visiting Mission to Trust Territories of the Pacific in 1956. The same year, he was appointed Permanent Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies, serving until 1959.[1]

Honours

Macpherson was appointed CMG in 1941, promoted to KCMG in 1945 and GCMG in 1951.[1] On 2 July 1947 he was made an Officer of the Czechoslovak Order of the White Lion.

References

1. Kirk-Greene, A. H. M. "Macpherson, Sir John Stuart (1898–1971)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/37726. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
2. Sklar, Robert L. (1963). Nigerian Political Parties: Power in an Emergent African Nation. Princeton: Princeton University Press. p. 118.

External links

• Portraits of Sir John Stuart Macpherson at the National Portrait Gallery, London

Government offices
Preceded by Arthur Richards	Governor-General of Nigeria 1948–1955	Succeeded by James Wilson Robertson
Preceded by Sir Thomas Lloyd	Permanent Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies 1956–1959	Succeeded by Sir Arthur Hilton Poynton