| Humphrey Gibbs |
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EARLY HISTORY Gibbs was born on 22 November , 1902 in England , the third son of the first Baron Hunsdon. He was educated at Eton and Trinity College , Cambridge . He moved to Southern Rhodesia in 1928 , buying a farm at Nyamandhlovu near Bulawayo . Gibbs became active in farming administration and helped found the National Farmers Union. As part of the Rhodesian Conservation Movement, he was elected to Rhodesia's Parliament in 1951. AS GOVERNOR OF RHODESIA In 1959, . Deciding that final legality rested in the Crown and not Prime Minister Smith, he declared that by its action of the UDI, the Rhodesian Government had established itself as an outlaw regime, and when Ian Smith and Deputy Prime Minister Clifford Dupont called on Gibbs after the UDI was signed, formally dismissed Smith and his cabinet from office (though the Rhodesian Government simply ignored the dismissal, justifying this on the grounds that the UDI and new constitution made Gibbs' position redundant). UNDER SIEGE Several high-ranking officers of the Rhodesian Military did go to Gibbs earlier in the day and made a statement of loyalty to him, asking Gibbs to issue a warrant so that they could arrest Smith and Dupont, but Gibbs knew that bulk of the Officer Corps, as well as the rank and file of the Rhodesian military were solidly behind Smith's government and that such a move would lead to a coup d'etat. Gibbs announced that despite the UDI, he had no intention of resigning his office or leaving Rhodesia, and that therefore, he would remain in Government House as the sole legal representative of Queen Elizabeth II (thus making Dupont's appointment by Smith as the '' Officer Administering The Government '' legally baseless internationally). According to Gibbs' biographer (Alan J. Megahey), this action led to four years of harassment and petty afflictions by the Rhodesian Government, resulting in making Gibbs and his wife virtually prisoners in Government House. Megahey further stated that the Smith regime attempted to compel Gibbs to leave several times and isolated him from the people. However, with the assistance of a small staff, led by Sir John Pestell , he managed to remain defiant. In 1969, Gibbs resigned after Smith's government ran and passed a referendum making Rhodesia a republic. Gibbs resigned because as the voters had solidly supported the move towards Rhodesia being a republic, he felt that there was no further point in continuing to represent the Queen at that point. He left Government House and Rhodesia. He was appointed to the Privy Council and was made a GCVO by The Queen . ADDITIONAL NOTES
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