Sir Probyn Ellsworth Inniss MBE (18 November 1936 – 12 March 2017) was the

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 ...

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 Kitts, Saint Christopher (or Saint Kitt ...

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

Anguilla Anguilla is a British Overseas Territories, 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 Sa ...

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

Early life

Inniss was born in

Saint Kitts Saint Kitts, officially Saint Christopher, 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 constitute one ...

, 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 The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

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 entitled to Call to the bar, call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple (with whi ...

. 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 valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(MBE) for his work.

Governorship

In August 1975, Inniss succeeded Sir Milton Allen as Governor of Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla, an

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

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 Order of chivalry, orders of chivalry; it is a part of the Orders, decorations, and medals ...

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 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

in July of the same year. During his term in office, there were three changes in government, with Robert Bradshaw, Paul Southwell, Sir Lee Moore, and Sir

Kennedy Simmonds Sir Kennedy Alphonse Simmonds, KCMG (born 12 April 1936), is a Saint Kittitian and Nevisian politician who served as the first prime minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis from 1983 to 1995. Life and career Simmonds was born in Basseterre on 12 Ap ...

all serving as

premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of govern ...

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 (political), 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-wester ...

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 contested seats in the 2022 gene ...

.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 People from Saint Kitts