Sir Edgar Cuthbert Fremantle Whitehead, (8 February 1905 – 22 September 1971) was a
Rhodesia
Rhodesia ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state, unrecognised state in Southern Africa that existed from 1965 to 1979. Rhodesia served as the ''de facto'' Succession of states, successor state to the ...
n politician and statesman who served as
Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia from 1958 to 1962. He had a long and varied political career, serving as a longstanding member of the
Southern Rhodesian Legislative Assembly and in a variety of minister posts over the course of nearly three decades. simultaneously serving in a variety of government position posts. His work was frequently interrupted by recurring health problems; he suffered from poor eyesight and later experienced deafness whilst in office. An ally of
Sir Roy Welensky, he was
Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia from 1958 to 1962. His government was defeated in the
1962 general election by the
Rhodesian Front.
Early life
Whitehead was born in the
British Embassy in
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
, where his father Sir
James Beethom Whitehead was a diplomat. He was educated at
Shrewsbury School
Shrewsbury School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Shrewsbury.
Founded in 1552 by Edward VI by royal charter, to replace the town's Saxon collegiate foundations which were disestablished in the sixteenth century, Shrewsb ...
and
University College, Oxford
University College, formally The Master and Fellows of the College of the Great Hall of the University commonly called University College in the University of Oxford and colloquially referred to as "Univ", is a Colleges of the University of Oxf ...
, and moved to the colony of
Southern Rhodesia
Southern Rhodesia was a self-governing British Crown colony in Southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The region was informally known as South ...
in 1928 for health reasons. After working briefly for the civil service at
Gwelo, he moved to a farm in the
Bvumba Mountains near
Umtali. Whitehead became active in the local farming unions.
Participation in the Second World War
He became a member of the
Southern Rhodesian Legislative Assembly in 1939, but his service was interrupted by the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, he was in West Africa and was an Air Despatcher with the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
in the United Kingdom. He served as
Acting High Commissioner for Southern Rhodesia in London from 1945 to 1946, before returning to
Salisbury
Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...
as
Minister of Finance and Minister of Posts and Telegraphs from September 1946 to March 1947.
During the
Federation
A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a political union, union of partially federated state, self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a #Federal governments, federal government (federalism) ...
period, Whitehead served as Minister for Rhodesia & Nyasaland Affairs in Washington, D.C. from 1957 to 1958.
Following a cabinet revolt which brought about the resignation of the liberal
Garfield Todd in 1958, Whitehead was chosen as the compromise candidate for his
United Federal Party
The United Federal Party (UFP) was a political party in the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland.
History
The UFP was formed in November 1957 by a merger of the Federal Party (Rhodesia and Nyasaland), Federal Party, which had operated at the fed ...
's leadership. Recalled from Washington, a by-election for the seat of Hillside in
Bulawayo
Bulawayo (, ; ) is the second largest city in Zimbabwe, and the largest city in the country's Matabeleland region. The city's population is disputed; the 2022 census listed it at 665,940, while the Bulawayo City Council claimed it to be about ...
was held on 16 April 1958 to elect him to parliament, which Whitehead lost the opposition
Dominion Party candidate, Jack Pain. Whitehead then called general elections and entered parliament as member for the Salisbury North constituency, becoming Prime Minister and Minister for Native Affairs.
Liberal rule
His near five years in office saw continued rapid economic growth but also the beginnings of the dismantling of the
Central African Federation against the wishes of his party. He was crucial in the negotiation of the 1961 constitution, which increased black representation in the Southern Rhodesian parliament. There was a relaxation of racial discrimination laws and a drive to enroll black voters during his period of office, but this was done against a background of civil unrest and a tightening of security measures.
The policies of Whitehead's government caused alarm among the white population, while the blacks remained dissatisfied with the advances they had made. The conservative
Rhodesian Front, led by
Winston Field, defeated the UFP in the 1962 elections, riding upon opposition to the new constitution and Whitehead's relatively liberal views on race, winning 35 of 50 white seats. Of the 15 seats for blacks, the UFP won 14.
Whitehead was Leader of the Opposition in Parliament from 1962 until February 1965. He later lost his seat in the
May 1965 election when the Rhodesian Front took all the white seats in Parliament. The Rhodesian Front, from 1964 under the leadership of
Ian Smith
Ian Douglas Smith (8 April 191920 November 2007) was a Rhodesian politician, farmer, and fighter pilot who served as Prime Minister of Rhodesia (known as Southern Rhodesia until October 1964 and now known as Zimbabwe) from 1964 to 1979. He w ...
, would rule
Rhodesia
Rhodesia ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state, unrecognised state in Southern Africa that existed from 1965 to 1979. Rhodesia served as the ''de facto'' Succession of states, successor state to the ...
until 1979.
Alec Douglas-Home
Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home, Baron Home of the Hirsel ( ; 2 July 1903 – 9 October 1995), known as Lord Dunglass from 1918 to 1951 and the Earl of Home from 1951 to 1963, was a British statesman and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative ...
in his memoir 'The Way the Wind Blows' noted his view of Whitehead as being very deaf, very blind and able to consume 13 beers in an evening without leaving the room. He was a bachelor and was seen by former Federation Minister
Julian Greenfield in his memoirs (page 234) as having even less charisma than
Edward Heath
Sir Edward Richard George Heath (9 July 1916 – 17 July 2005) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1965 ...
with voters, whether male or female.
Retirement
After leaving politics, Whitehead retired back to the United Kingdom to live with his sister near
Whitchurch in
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...
. From there he called for a union between the
UK and
Rhodesia
Rhodesia ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state, unrecognised state in Southern Africa that existed from 1965 to 1979. Rhodesia served as the ''de facto'' Succession of states, successor state to the ...
as a way forward following
UDI. He died of cancer of the oesophagus and lung in a nursing home in
Hamstead Marshall near
Newbury in September 1971. A plaque to him in Salisbury (now Harare) Cathedral Cloisters was unveiled by former Governor Sir
Humphrey Gibbs in 1972. His papers, including an unpublished autobiography, are in the Rhodes House Library, Oxford.
Honours
Appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1944, in the
1952 New Year Honours Whitehead was appointed a Companion of the
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III ...
(CMG). In the
1954 Birthday Honours he was knighted as a Knight Commander of the
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III ...
(KCMG) for "public services rendered in connection with the setting up of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland".
References
Further reading
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitehead, Edgar
1905 births
1971 deaths
Alumni of University College, Oxford
Deaths from esophageal cancer in England
Officers of the Order of the British Empire
People educated at Shrewsbury School
Finance ministers of Rhodesia
Prime ministers of Rhodesia
Members of the Legislative Assembly of Southern Rhodesia
Rhodesian politicians
Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
White Rhodesian people
British emigrants to Southern Rhodesia
Zimbabwean people of English descent
20th-century Anglicans
Rhodesian Anglicans
English Anglicans
United Federal Party politicians
Edgar
Edgar is a commonly used masculine English given name, from an Anglo-Saxon name ''Edgar'' (composed of ''wikt:en:ead, ead'' "rich, prosperous" and ''Gar (spear), gar'' "spear").
Like most Anglo-Saxon names, it fell out of use by the Late Midd ...
Southern Rhodesian military personnel of World War II
Royal Air Force personnel of World War II