Kenneth Blackburne

Sir Kenneth William Blackburne GCMG GBE (12 December 1907 – 4 November 1980) was a British colonial official, arguably best known as the first governor-general of Jamaica.^[1] He was knighted in 1952.

Biography

Blackburne was born in Bordon, England. He entered the colonial service in 1930 and served in Nigeria, Palestine and the Gambia. He then served in the West Indies from 1943 to 1947 and subsequently as director of colonial information services in London from 1947 to 1950, before returning to the West Indies. He served as governor of the Leeward Islands from 1950 to 1956 and as governor of Jamaica from 1957 until 1962. When Jamaica received its independence in August 1962, Blackburne was appointed as the governor-general; he served in that position for three months before his Jamaican replacement, Clifford Campbell, took office.^[1]

Blackburne died in Douglas, Isle of Man, aged 72.

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