Garfield Todd
Encyclopedia
Sir Reginald Stephen Garfield Todd (July 13, 1908 - October 13, 2002) was a reformist Prime Minister
of Southern Rhodesia
from 1953 to 1958 and later became an opponent of white minority rule in Rhodesia
. He was born in Invercargill
, New Zealand
.
, New Zealand, in 1908. He was educated at Otago University, Glen Leith Theological College, New Zealand, and University of the Witwatersrand
. He married Jean Grace Wilson in 1932 with whom he had three daughters.
Todd emigrated to Southern Rhodesia from New Zealand
in 1934 as a Protestant missionary
and ran the Dadaya New Zealand Churches of Christ Mission school. One of the primary school teachers in his charge was Robert Mugabe
. Though he had no formal medical training, Todd and his wife, Grace, set up a clinic where he delivered hundreds of babies and treated minor injuries.
. He succeeded Sir Godfrey Martin Huggins as leader of the United Rhodesia Party
and prime minister of Southern Rhodesia in 1953 when Huggins became prime minister of the newly created Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland
at its creation in 1953. At the same time the United Rhodesia Party became the United Federal Party
.
From 1955 to 1960 Todd served as first vice president of the World Convention of Churches of Christ
.
majority. He introduced the appellation "Mr" for Africans instead of "AM" (African Male) and permitted Blacks to drink European beer and wine, though not spirits. His government introduced a plan to give elementary education to every African of school age. He doubled the number of primary schools and gave grants to missionary-run schools to introduce secondary school and pre-university courses for Blacks. He also passed a bill that allowed for multiracial trade union
s.
His government tried to increase the number of Blacks eligible to vote from 2 % to 16 % of the electorate, but this was soundly rejected.
These reforms were seen as dangerously radical by most whites. Todd's party forced him out of power when his ministers resigned en bloc and three months later he was replaced as party leader and prime minister by Edgar Whitehead
.
In a farewell statement, he said "We must make it possible for every individual to lead the good life, to win a place in the sun. We are in danger of becoming a race of fear-ridden neurotics - we who live in the finest country on Earth."
Out of power, Todd became increasingly critical of white minority rule and was an outspoken opponent of Ian Smith's 1965 Unilateral Declaration of Independence
from the United Kingdom
. Todd applied for an exit visa to lead a teach-in
at Edinburgh University to educate British public opinion on the inequities of white rule. The Rhodesia
n government banned him from leaving the country and placed him under house arrest
.
In 1972 Todd and his daughter, Judith
, were imprisoned for a second time. Judith Todd was ultimately forced into exile
and became an "unperson" in Rhodesia when the media was banned from even mentioning her name. Todd himself was confined to his ranch near Bulawayo
.
in 1980. Lord Soames
, following the recommendation of Prime Minister-elect Robert Mugabe
, appointed Todd to the Senate of Zimbabwe
on April 8, 1980, where Todd served until his retirement in 1985. However, Todd became disillusioned with the Mugabe regime due to its violence against political opponents.
He was knight
ed in 1986. In 1973 he had received a medal for his efforts in peace and justice from the Pope
.
In retirement, Todd donated 3,000 acres (12 km²) of his ranch to guerrillas who had been disabled in the war of independence. Todd's criticism of Mugabe intensified and in 2002 he was stripped of Zimbabwean citizenship. He died, aged 94, at Bulawayo on 13 October 2002.
Prime Minister of Rhodesia
The Prime Minister of Rhodesia was the head of government in the colony of Rhodesia. Rhodesia's political system was modelled on the Westminster system and the Prime Minister's role was similar to that of the same position in other countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New...
of Southern Rhodesia
Southern Rhodesia
Southern Rhodesia was the name of the British colony situated north of the Limpopo River and the Union of South Africa. From its independence in 1965 until its extinction in 1980, it was known as Rhodesia...
from 1953 to 1958 and later became an opponent of white minority rule in Rhodesia
Rhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
. He was born in Invercargill
Invercargill
Invercargill is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. It lies in the heart of the wide expanse of the Southland Plains on the Oreti or New River some 18 km north of Bluff,...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Background
Todd was born in InvercargillInvercargill
Invercargill is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. It lies in the heart of the wide expanse of the Southland Plains on the Oreti or New River some 18 km north of Bluff,...
, New Zealand, in 1908. He was educated at Otago University, Glen Leith Theological College, New Zealand, and University of the Witwatersrand
University of the Witwatersrand
The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg is a South African university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University...
. He married Jean Grace Wilson in 1932 with whom he had three daughters.
Todd emigrated to Southern Rhodesia from New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in 1934 as a Protestant missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
and ran the Dadaya New Zealand Churches of Christ Mission school. One of the primary school teachers in his charge was Robert Mugabe
Robert Mugabe
Robert Gabriel Mugabe is the President of Zimbabwe. As one of the leaders of the liberation movement against white-minority rule, he was elected into power in 1980...
. Though he had no formal medical training, Todd and his wife, Grace, set up a clinic where he delivered hundreds of babies and treated minor injuries.
Political involvement
In 1948 he was elected to the colonial parliamentParliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
. He succeeded Sir Godfrey Martin Huggins as leader of the United Rhodesia Party
United Rhodesia Party
The name United Rhodesia Party and the acronym, URP, refer to two political parties in Southern Rhodesia.The first was the party, led by Sir Godfrey Martin Huggins, and which in 1933 came to power in the colony...
and prime minister of Southern Rhodesia in 1953 when Huggins became prime minister of the newly created Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland
Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland
The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, also known as the Central African Federation , was a semi-independent state in southern Africa that existed from 1953 to the end of 1963, comprising the former self-governing colony of Southern Rhodesia and the British protectorates of Northern Rhodesia,...
at its creation in 1953. At the same time the United Rhodesia Party became the United Federal Party
United Federal Party
The United Federal Party, previously known as the United Party and the United Rhodesia Party, was one of Southern Rhodesia's most successful political parties, and governed the country for over 30 years...
.
From 1955 to 1960 Todd served as first vice president of the World Convention of Churches of Christ
World Convention of Churches of Christ
The World Convention of Churches of Christ is a Christian world communion that links an international family of churches known by a range of names including Christian Churches, Churches of Christ and Christian Church . The first Global Gathering of the World Convention was held in Washington, D.C....
.
Government
Todd introduced modest reforms aimed at improving the education of the BlackBlack
Black is the color of objects that do not emit or reflect light in any part of the visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of light...
majority. He introduced the appellation "Mr" for Africans instead of "AM" (African Male) and permitted Blacks to drink European beer and wine, though not spirits. His government introduced a plan to give elementary education to every African of school age. He doubled the number of primary schools and gave grants to missionary-run schools to introduce secondary school and pre-university courses for Blacks. He also passed a bill that allowed for multiracial trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
s.
His government tried to increase the number of Blacks eligible to vote from 2 % to 16 % of the electorate, but this was soundly rejected.
These reforms were seen as dangerously radical by most whites. Todd's party forced him out of power when his ministers resigned en bloc and three months later he was replaced as party leader and prime minister by Edgar Whitehead
Edgar Whitehead
Sir Edgar Cuthbert Fremantle Whitehead, OBE, was a Rhodesian politician. He was a longstanding member of the Southern Rhodesia Legislative Assembly, although his career was interrupted by other posts and by illness. In particular he had poor eyesight, and wore very thick glasses, and later...
.
In a farewell statement, he said "We must make it possible for every individual to lead the good life, to win a place in the sun. We are in danger of becoming a race of fear-ridden neurotics - we who live in the finest country on Earth."
Subsequent political career
Todd formed the new 'Central Africa Party' which failed to win any seats in the election.Out of power, Todd became increasingly critical of white minority rule and was an outspoken opponent of Ian Smith's 1965 Unilateral Declaration of Independence
Unilateral Declaration of Independence (Rhodesia)
The Unilateral Declaration of Independence of Rhodesia from the United Kingdom was signed on November 11, 1965, by the administration of Ian Smith, whose Rhodesian Front party opposed black majority rule in the then British colony. Although it declared independence from the United Kingdom it...
from the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Todd applied for an exit visa to lead a teach-in
Teach-in
A teach-in is similar to a general educational forum on any complicated issue, usually an issue involving current political affairs. The main difference between a teach-in and a seminar is the refusal to limit the discussion to a specific frame of time or an academic scope of the topic. Teach-ins...
at Edinburgh University to educate British public opinion on the inequities of white rule. The Rhodesia
Rhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
n government banned him from leaving the country and placed him under house arrest
House arrest
In justice and law, house arrest is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to his or her residence. Travel is usually restricted, if allowed at all...
.
In 1972 Todd and his daughter, Judith
Judith Todd
Judith Todd is daughter of Garfield Todd , Rhodesian Prime Minister 1953-8, and a political activist regarding Zimbabwe. She had been married from 1974 for ten years to Sir Richard Acton....
, were imprisoned for a second time. Judith Todd was ultimately forced into exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
and became an "unperson" in Rhodesia when the media was banned from even mentioning her name. Todd himself was confined to his ranch near Bulawayo
Bulawayo
Bulawayo is the second largest city in Zimbabwe after the capital Harare, with an estimated population in 2010 of 2,000,000. It is located in Matabeleland, 439 km southwest of Harare, and is now treated as a separate provincial area from Matabeleland...
.
Later life
The Smith Government was ultimately forced to give up power and the colony became the independent state of ZimbabweZimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
in 1980. Lord Soames
Christopher Soames, Baron Soames
Arthur Christopher John Soames, Baron Soames, GCMG, GCVO, CH, CBE, PC was a British politician belonging to the Conservative Party and the son-in-law of Winston Churchill. A European Commissioner and the last Governor of Southern Rhodesia, he had previously been the longtime Member of Parliament...
, following the recommendation of Prime Minister-elect Robert Mugabe
Robert Mugabe
Robert Gabriel Mugabe is the President of Zimbabwe. As one of the leaders of the liberation movement against white-minority rule, he was elected into power in 1980...
, appointed Todd to the Senate of Zimbabwe
Senate of Zimbabwe
The Senate of Zimbabwe is the upper chamber of the country's bicameral Parliament. It existed from 1980 to 1989, and was re-introduced in November 2005....
on April 8, 1980, where Todd served until his retirement in 1985. However, Todd became disillusioned with the Mugabe regime due to its violence against political opponents.
He was knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
ed in 1986. In 1973 he had received a medal for his efforts in peace and justice from the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
.
In retirement, Todd donated 3,000 acres (12 km²) of his ranch to guerrillas who had been disabled in the war of independence. Todd's criticism of Mugabe intensified and in 2002 he was stripped of Zimbabwean citizenship. He died, aged 94, at Bulawayo on 13 October 2002.
External links
- Sir Garfield Todd: Liberal Rhodesian premier brought down over black reforms - Obituary in The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
- http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article2510767.eceInterview with Judith ToddJudith ToddJudith Todd is daughter of Garfield Todd , Rhodesian Prime Minister 1953-8, and a political activist regarding Zimbabwe. She had been married from 1974 for ten years to Sir Richard Acton....
] (Discusses her political activities in Zimbabwe and her father), The Sunday TimesThe Sunday TimesThe Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
. September 23, 2007.