Robert Stapledon
Sir Robert de Stapeldon Stapledon, KCMG, CBE (6 February 1909 – 30 August 1975) was a British colonial administrator and Governor of the Bahamas from 1960 to 1964.[1][2]
Biography
Stapledon was born in Bideford, Devon,[3] the third and youngest son of Mr & Mrs. Ernest A. Stapledon.[4][5] He first served as a cadet in the colonial service in Nigeria in 1931.[4] In 1933, Stapledon married Marjorie W. Radford in Northam, Devon.[5] In 1934, he was appointed an Assistant District Officer in Nigeria. Between 1940-1944, he served in West Africa followed by a two-year stint in the Pacific Islands.[4]
Stapledon was made the Chief Secretary of Tanganyika from 1954-1956,[1][4] before serving as the Governor of Eastern Region, Nigeria from 1956 to 1960.[1][2] He served as Governor of the Bahamas from 1960 to 1964.[1][2][6] He was then appointed to be a Member of the Commonwealth Development Corporation from 1964 to 1967.[7]
Stapledon was made a Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1944[4][8] and a Commander of the Order (CBE) in 1953.[4][9] In 1955, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George[10] and, in 1956, a Knight Commander (K.C.M.G.).[11] In 1959, Stapledon was appointed a Knight of the Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem.[12]
Stapledon died at the Old Rectory in Littleham, Devon on 30 August 1975; he was 66.[13]
References
- ^ a b c d "Obituary". The Daily Telegraph. 1 September 1975. p. 6. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
- ^ a b c "Sir Robert Stapledon". The Times. 2 September 1975. p. 14.
- ^ "Birth registration for Robert De S Stapledon". Family Search. England and Wales, Birth Registration Index, 1837-2008. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
- ^ a b c d e f "Bidefordian is appointed Governor of the Eastern Nigeria". The Bideford and North Devon Gazette and Devon and Cornwall Advertiser. 23 November 1956. p. 1.
- ^ a b "Interesting Northam Wedding". The North Devon Journal-Herald. Barnstaple, Devon, England. 25 May 1933. p. 7. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
- ^ "Governor Quits in April". Western Daily Press. 28 February 1964. p. 2. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
- ^ "Colonial Office Notices". The Gazette (43312). London, England: 3773. 1 May 1964.
- ^ "Appointments of Additional Officers to the Civil Division of the Order of the British Empire". The Gazette (Supplement 36547). London, England: 2669. 2 June 1944.
- ^ "Order of the British Empire Appointments". The Gazette (Supplement 39863). London, England: 2973. 26 May 1953.
- ^ "Appointments to the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George". The Gazette (Supplement: 40497). London, England: 3261. 3 June 1955.
- ^ "Promotion to Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George". The Gazette (40930). London, England: 6575. 20 November 1956.
- ^ "Appointments to the Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem". The Gazette (41604). London, England: 308. 13 January 1959.
- ^ "Deaths: Stapledon". The Daily Telegraph. 1 September 1975. p. 20.