Sir Probyn Ellsworth Inniss

MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...

(18 November 1936 – 12 March 2017) was the

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla (or Saint Christopher, Nevis, and Anguilla) was a British colony in the West Indies from 1882 to 1983, consisting of the islands of Anguilla (until 1980), Nevis, and Saint Christopher (or Saint Kitts). From 1882 ...

from 1975 to 1980, and then, following the separation of

Anguilla Anguilla ( ) is a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is one of the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles, lying east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and directly north of Saint Martin. The terr ...

, the Governor of Saint Christopher and Nevis from 1980 to 1981.

Early life

Inniss was born in

Saint Kitts Saint Kitts, officially the Saint Christopher Island, is an island in the West Indies. The west side of the island borders the Caribbean Sea, and the eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean. Saint Kitts and the neighbouring island of Nevis cons ...

, where he attended secondary school, and went on to study at the University College of West Indies, graduating in 1961. After working as a schoolteacher for a period, he went to England to study law, eventually being called to the bar as a member of the

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn ...

. He entered the civil service on returning to Saint Kitts,"Probyn Ellsworth Inniss"
– Caribbean Elections. Retrieved 24 April 2016. and in June 1967 was made a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(MBE) for his work.

Governorship

In August 1975, Inniss succeeded Sir

Milton Allen Sir Milton Pentonville Allen OBE (22 June 1888 – 17 September 1981) was the Governor of Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla from 1969 to 1975. He was a native of Saint Kitts, and was a journalist and politician before being appointed governor. E ...

as Governor of Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla, an

Associated State An associated state is the minor partner in a formal, free relationship between a political territory (some dependent, most fully sovereign states) and a major party—usually a larger nation. The details of such free association are contain ...

of the United Kingdom. In connection with his appointment, he was created a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are th ...

in the

1976 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1976 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 1 January 1976 to celebra ...

, and was personally invested by Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

in July of the same year. During his term in office, there were three changes in government, with Robert Bradshaw,

Paul Southwell Caleb Azariah Paul Southwell (18 July 1913 – 18 May 1979) was the second Premier and first Chief Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean. He also worked as a teacher, police officer, and trade unionist. Early life and career ...

, Sir Lee Moore, and Sir Kennedy Simmonds all serving as premier at various stages. In 1981, Inniss refused assent to a bill that had been passed by the Simmonds government, in the belief that it was unconstitutional. Simmonds consequently wrote to Elizabeth II to request the removal of his commission as governor, which occurred in November of that year.

Later life

After leaving office, Inniss returned to the legal profession, setting up his own firm. He also authored books on the history of Saint Kitts, specifically on the history of

Basseterre Basseterre (; Saint Kitts Creole: ''Basterre'') is the capital and largest city of Saint Kitts and Nevis with an estimated population of 14,000 in 2018. Geographically, the Basseterre port is located at , on the south western coast of Saint Kit ...

and of the

Saint Kitts and Nevis Labour Party The Saint Kitts and Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP), also known simply as Labour, is a centre-left political party in Saint Kitts and Nevis. It is currently in government in the country after winning six of the eleven seats in the 2022 general electio ...

.Government House: Personalities
– Basseterre Past & Present. Retrieved 24 April 2016.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Inniss, Probyn 1936 births 2017 deaths Knights Bachelor Governors of British Saint Christopher and Nevis Members of the Middle Temple Members of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century Saint Kitts and Nevis lawyers Alumni of University of London Worldwide Alumni of the University of London University of the West Indies alumni Saint Kitts and Nevis expatriates in the United Kingdom Governors of Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla 21st-century Saint Kitts and Nevis lawyers