Sir Gordon James Lethem, KCMG (16 September 1886 – 14 August 1962) was a British colonial administrator.

Biography

He was born in Leith, Scotland, the son of James Lethem and Marian Macintosh. He was

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

of the

Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (; Seychellois Creole: ), is an island country and archipelagic state consisting of 155 islands (as per the Constitution) in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, Victoria, ...

from 1934 to 1936; Governor of the

Leeward Islands The Leeward Islands () are a group of islands situated where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean. Starting with the Virgin Islands east of Puerto Rico, they extend southeast to Guadeloupe and its dependencies. In Engl ...

from 1936 to 1941; and Governor of

British Guiana British Guiana was a British colony, part of the mainland British West Indies. It was located on the northern coast of South America. Since 1966 it has been known as the independent nation of Guyana. The first known Europeans to encounter Guia ...

from 7 November 1941 to 1946. He was acting Governor from 1946 to 12 April 1947. He also served in

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

. Lethem's papers are held in

Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1602 by Sir Thomas Bodley, it is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second-largest library in ...

at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

. After retiring from the civil service he became involved in politics. He was a member of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

. In 1950 he was Vice-President of the Scottish Liberal Party. He stood as a Liberal candidate at the United Kingdom general election of 1950 in the constituency of

Banffshire Banffshire (; ; ) is a historic county in Scotland. The county town is Banff, although the largest settlement is Buckie to the west. The historic county ceased to be used for local government purposes in 1975. Since 1996 the area has been spli ...

. He finished third and did not stand for parliament again.British Parliamentary Election Results 1950-1973 by FWS Craig He died at his home in

Eskdalemuir Eskdalemuir is a civil parish and small village in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, with a population of 265.

on 15 August 1962. The city of

Lethem, Guyana Lethem is a town in Guyana’s south, located in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo region. It is the regional capital of Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo. It is named after Gordon James Lethem, Sir Gordon James Lethem, who was the Governor of British ...

is named after him.

References

Papers of Sir Gordon James Lethem
Bodleian Library {{DEFAULTSORT:Lethem, Gordon James 1886 births 1962 deaths Governors of British Seychelles Governors of British Guiana British Guiana in World War II Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Knights of the Order of St John Members of Lincoln's Inn Liberal Party (UK) parliamentary candidates Alumni of the University of Edinburgh British expatriates in British Nigeria