George Basil Haddon-Smith

Sir George Basil Haddon-Smith KCMG (25 November 1861 –13 June 1931) was a British colonial administrator who was Governor of the Bahamas and Governor of the Windward Islands.^[1]

Sir George Basil Haddon-Smith KCMG
Governor of the Bahamas
In office 29 October 1912 – 1914
Monarch	George V
Preceded by	Sir William Grey-Wilson
Succeeded by	Sir William Lamond Allardyce
Governor of the Windward Islands
In office 1914–1923
Preceded by	Sir James Hayes Sadler
Succeeded by	Sir Frederick Seton James
Personal details
Born	25 November 1861 United Kingdom
Died	13 June 1931(1931-06-13) (aged 69) London, United Kingdom
Spouse	Eliza Constance Hodson

He was born the son of Henry Haddon-Smith and educated at the Victoria College, Jersey. He joined the colonial service and was posted to West Africa where he was the political officer of the Ashanti Field Force and served with the Hausa force against the Jebu tribe in 1892. He was Assistant Colonial Secretary in Lagos before being appointed Chief Assistant Colonial Secretary of the Gold Coast (now Ghana) in 1896. He was also political officer on the Ashanti expedition of 1900. He was acting Governor of The Gambia in 1901 and then served as Colonial Secretary of Sierra Leone for 11 years. He was made CMG in 1901.^[2]

In 1912 he moved to the Americas to be Governor of the Bahamas, transferring in 1914 to become Governor of the Windward Islands, a position he held until his retirement in 1923.^[3][4] He was made KCMG in 1915.^[5]

On his retirement he settled in Exmouth, Devon, dying of a spinal tumour in 1931. He had married Eliza Constance Hodson, with whom he had two sons. Their first son, Walter Basil, was killed as a captain in the First World War.

References

1. Hodson, Richard. The Hodsons of St. Helena, Bath, Cheltenham and Beyond. p. 15.
2. "No. 27266". The London Gazette. 15 January 1901. p. 309.
3. "No. 28643". The London Gazette. 10 September 1912. p. 6698.
4. "No. 29011". The London Gazette. 18 December 1914. p. 10815.
5. "No. 29024". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 1915. p. 2.