John Wrathall

The Honourable
John Wrathall
GCLM ID
The Honourable John Wrathall GCLM ID
2nd President of Rhodesia
	In office; 14 January 1976 – 31 August 1978
Prime Minister	Ian Smith
Preceded by	Henry Everard (Acting)
Succeeded by	Henry Everard (Acting)
Minister of African Education
	In office; 11 October 1963 – 14 May 1964
Prime Minister	Ian Smith
Preceded by	Jack Howman
Succeeded by	Post abolished
Minister of Education
	In office; 1 January 1964 – 14 April 1964
Prime Minister	Ian Smith
Preceded by	George Arthur Davenport
Succeeded by	Arthur Philip Smith
Minister of Health
	In office; 29 November 1963 – 14 April 1964
Prime Minister	Ian Smith
Preceded by	Patrick Bissett Fletcher
Succeeded by	Ian Finlay McLean
Minister of Finance
	In office; 14 April 1964 – January 1976
Prime Minister	Ian Smith
Preceded by	Ian Smith
Succeeded by	David Smith
Member of the Southern Rhodesian Legislative Assembly for Bulawayo South
	In office; 27 January 1954 – 5 June 1958
Preceded by	Henry Holmes
Succeeded by	Benny Goldstein
Member of the Southern Rhodesian Legislative Assembly for Bulawayo North
	In office; 14 December 1962 – 10 April 1970
Preceded by	Ian Finlay McLean
Succeeded by	Assembly dissolved
Member of the House of Assembly of Rhodesia for Bulawayo North
	In office; 10 April 1970 – 30 July 1974
Preceded by	New seat
Succeeded by	Denis Walker
Member of the Rhodesian Senate
	In office; 1974–1976
Personal details
Born	28 August 1913; Lancaster, Lancashire, England
Died	31 August 1978 (aged 65); Salisbury, Rhodesia
Spouse	Doreen Wrathall (died 2009)
Relations	Jonathan Wrathall, Christopher Wrathall
Awards

John James Wrathall GCLM ID (28 August 1913 – 31 August 1978), was a British-born Rhodesian politician. He was the last white President of Rhodesia (later holders of the post were only acting as such). He formerly worked as a chartered accountant.^[1]

Early life

Wrathall was born in Lancaster in Lancashire, Great Britain, and went to Lancaster Royal Grammar School.^[2] Having qualified as a chartered accountant in 1935, he emigrated to Southern Rhodesia the next year. He worked for the Southern Rhodesian Government in its income tax department for the next ten years.^[2]

Rhodesian career

In 1946 Wrathall set up in private practice as an accountant in Bulawayo and also became involved in politics. In 1949 he was elected to Bulawayo City Council, where he served for a decade.^[3] Wrathall was elected to the Legislative Assembly for Bulawayo South in the 1954 general election, as a member of the United Federal Party, then led by Garfield Todd, but stood down after one term in 1958.^[3]

Ministerial office

By 1962 Wrathall was no longer a supporter of the United Federal Party and became a founder member of the Rhodesian Front under Winston Field. He was elected in Bulawayo North in the December 1962 election under the RF banner, defeating the incumbent, Cyril Hatty, by 67 votes.^[4] As one of the party's most experienced members, in October 1963 he was made Minister of African Education.^[5] A month later he also took on the Ministry of Health, which was being transferred from the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland on its demise at the end of 1963.^[6]

Wrathall was among the members of the Rhodesian Front who deposed Winston Field and instead installed Ian Smith as Prime Minister in April 1964. Smith promoted him to be Minister of Finance and of Posts and Telecommunications.^[7]^[8] As such, he was one of the signatories to the Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) on 11 November 1965. He was Deputy Prime Minister from 7 September 1966. Known as "the quiet man of Rhodesian politics", he nevertheless was a key figure in the secret struggle against United Nations sanctions imposed after UDI.^[9]

As Minister of Finance, Wrathall also oversaw the adoption of a new decimal currency to replace the Rhodesian pound, known as the Rhodesian dollar, a name which he regarded as having international substance.^[10]

In July 1973 Wrathall ceded his responsibility as Minister of Posts; during the 1974 general election he stood down from the House of Assembly and transferred to the Senate. In 1975 he presented his 12th (and last) consecutive Budget as Rhodesia's longest serving Minister of Finance.^[11]

Presidency

In 1976, Wrathall became the second President of Rhodesia, succeeding Clifford Dupont.^[12] On 14 January of that year, he was sworn in as president by the Chief Justice, Sir Hugh Beadle, in a ceremony at Government House witnessed by Prime Minister Ian Smith and his Cabinet ministers.^[13] Wrathall served for two and a half years, and died in office of a heart attack.^[14]^[15]

Awards

Legion of Merit (Grand Commander - Civilian) (GCLM) (Rhodesia)
Independence Decoration (ID) (Rhodesia)

References

^ President dies, The Age, 1 September 1978
^ ^a ^b Current World Leaders: biography and news, Volumes 20-21, Almanac of Current World Leaders, 1977, page 2
^ ^a ^b Africa Research Bulletin, Blackwell, 1978, page 4967
^ The Central African Examiner, Volume 6, page 4
^ Rhodesia: The Road to Rebellion, Institute of Race Relations, 1967, page 308
^ Heads of States and Governments Since 1945, Harris M. Lentz, Routledge, 2014, page 869
^ F. M. G. Willson and G. C. Passmore. "Holders of Administrative and Ministerial Office 1894-1964" (PDF). University of Zimbabwe Library. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 August 2020.
^ Who's who of Rhodesia, Mauritius, Central and East Africa: Supplement to the Who's who of Southern Africa, Combined Publishers., 1967, 1161-5
^ Rhodesia's Sanctions Buster Is Dead, The Glasgow Herald, 1 September 1978, page 2
^ Unpopular Sovereignty: Rhodesian Independence and African Decolonization, Luise White, University of Chicago Press, 2015, page 124
^ Parliamentary Debates – House of Assembly, 1975, Volume 90,
^ Smith of Rhodesia, Matthew C. White Printpak, 1978, page 92
^ RHODESIA: Former Finance Minister John Wrathall sworn in as Rhodesia's second President since UDI in 1965, Reuters, 19 January 1976
^ John Wrathall, Appointed To Office In 1976 as Independent Rhodesia's 2nd President, Toledo Blade, 31 August 1978
^ The Great Betrayal: The Memoirs of Ian Douglas Smith, Ian Douglas Smith, Blake Publishing Limited, 1997, page 266

External links

Rhodesian Prime Minister, Ian Smith, President John Wrathall and his wife Doreen, attend opening of Parliament in Salisbury, 22 June 1977, AP Archive
Funeral of President John Wrathall – 5000 line streets, 7 September 1978, AP Archive

Southern Rhodesian Legislative Assembly
Preceded by Henry Holmes	Member of Parliament for Bulawayo South 1954–1958	Succeeded by Benny Goldstein
Preceded by Ian Finlay McLean	Member of Parliament for Bulawayo North 1962–1970	Assembly dissolved
House of Assembly of Rhodesia
New title	Member of Parliament for Bulawayo North 1970–1974	Succeeded by Denis Walker
Political offices
Preceded by Jack Howman	Minister of African Education 1963–1964	Post abolished
Vacant Title last held by Patrick Bissett Fletcher	Minister of Health 1963–1964	Succeeded by Ian Finlay McLean
Vacant Title last held by George Arthur Davenport	Minister of Education 1964	Succeeded by Arthur Philip Smith
Preceded by Ian Smith as Minister of the Treasury	Minister of Finance 1964–1976	Succeeded by David Smith
Preceded by Ian Smith	Minister of Posts 1964–1973	Succeeded by Roger Hawkins
Preceded by Clifford Dupont	Deputy Prime Minister of Rhodesia 1966–1976	Succeeded by David Smith
Preceded by Clifford Dupont	President of Rhodesia 1976–1978	Succeeded by Henry Everard (Acting)

[1] President dies, The Age, 1 September 1978

[almanac-2] Current World Leaders: biography and news, Volumes 20-21, Almanac of Current World Leaders, 1977, page 2

[arb-3] Africa Research Bulletin, Blackwell, 1978, page 4967

[4] The Central African Examiner, Volume 6, page 4

[5] Rhodesia: The Road to Rebellion, Institute of Race Relations, 1967, page 308

[6] Heads of States and Governments Since 1945, Harris M. Lentz, Routledge, 2014, page 869

[rhodesian_offices_1924_1964-7] F. M. G. Willson and G. C. Passmore. "Holders of Administrative and Ministerial Office 1894-1964" (PDF). University of Zimbabwe Library. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 August 2020.

[8] Who's who of Rhodesia, Mauritius, Central and East Africa: Supplement to the Who's who of Southern Africa, Combined Publishers., 1967, 1161-5

[9] Rhodesia's Sanctions Buster Is Dead, The Glasgow Herald, 1 September 1978, page 2

[10] Unpopular Sovereignty: Rhodesian Independence and African Decolonization, Luise White, University of Chicago Press, 2015, page 124

[11] Parliamentary Debates – House of Assembly, 1975, Volume 90,

[12] Smith of Rhodesia, Matthew C. White Printpak, 1978, page 92

[13] RHODESIA: Former Finance Minister John Wrathall sworn in as Rhodesia's second President since UDI in 1965, Reuters, 19 January 1976

[14] John Wrathall, Appointed To Office In 1976 as Independent Rhodesia's 2nd President, Toledo Blade, 31 August 1978

[15] The Great Betrayal: The Memoirs of Ian Douglas Smith, Ian Douglas Smith, Blake Publishing Limited, 1997, page 266

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v t e Signatories of Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence
Prime Minister	Ian Smith
Deputy Prime Minister	Clifford Dupont
Ministers	William Harper Jack Howman Desmond Lardner-Burke Ian Finlay McLean The Duke of Montrose Jack Mussett George Rudland A. P. Smith Phillip van Heerden John Wrathall
Non-signatory ministers present	Ian Dillon Andrew Dunlop Lance Smith P. K. van der Byl

v t e Presidents of Zimbabwe and its antecedents
Rhodesia (1965–1979, an unrecognised state)	Clifford Dupont Henry Everard* John Wrathall Henry Everard* Jack Pithey* Henry Everard*
Zimbabwe Rhodesia (1979, an unrecognised state)	Josiah Zion Gumede
Zimbabwe (since 1980, a recognised state)	Canaan Banana Robert Mugabe Emmerson Mnangagwa
*Acting President

v t e Ministers of finance of Zimbabwe and its antecedents
Southern Rhodesia (1923–1965)	Fynn Smit Fynn Senior Guest Huggins Danziger Huggins Fereday Guest Huggins Whitehead Guest Fletcher Huggins Fletcher Huggins Fletcher Caldicott Davenport MacIntyre Todd Hatty Davenport Fletcher Todd Brown Abrahamson Hatty Whitehead Brown Smith Harper Wrathall
Rhodesia and Nyasaland (1953–1963)	MacIntyre Caldicott
Rhodesia under UDI (1965–1979)	John Wrathall David Colville Smith Ernest Bulle
Zimbabwe Rhodesia under UDI (1979)	David Colville Smith
Southern Rhodesia (1979–1980)	David Colville Smith
Zimbabwe (1980–present)	Masaya Chidzero Chambati Mnangagwa Murerwa Makoni Murerwa Kuruneri Murerwa Mumbengegwi Biti Chinamasa Chombo Chinamasa Ncube