John Wallace Downie

Infobox Officeholder
honorific-prefix = Hon.
name = John Wallace Downie
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office = High Commissioner of Southern Rhodesia to London
term_start = 1930
term_end = 1935
monarch = George V
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birth_date = 1876
birth_place = Scotland
death_date = 22 August 1940
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party = Rhodesian Party
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Hon. John Wallace Downie (CMG) ( [1876 - 1940] ) served as High Commissioner of Southern Rhodesia from 1930 to 1935. The son of Lanark Station Master Christopher Downie, he was born in Lanark, Scotland, emigrating to South Africa in 1897 to work on the Cape Railways. Here he worked on the line in process of construction from Bechuanaland to Bulawayo. Subsequently he worked for a time as postmaster in Francistown. On 15th October 1899, following the declaration of The Anglo-Boer War, John Downie volunteered to join the Francistown Defence Force 1899 under the leadership of Umfreville Percy Swinburne.

In 1900 he returned to Glasgow in order to study, coming back to Africa in 1901.

On his return he was appointed secretary of a small mining company and subsequently joined the firm of Haddon, Cotton & Butt, a Rhodesian shipping and forwarding house. John Downie was very successful in his new position and rose to be managing director. He was interested in a number of gold mining ventures, and in addition to his firm acted as manager of the Portland Cement Works for some time. John Downie later sold his interests in the firm, and in 1920 he became manager of the Salisbury Farmer's Co-operative, holding this post till the period of the end of Chartered Company Rule in 1923.John Downie was a keen advocate of responsible government and served as treasurer of the Responsible Government Party. Subsequently he became Chairman of the Rhodesia Party and was responsible for much of the work of party organisation.

On 29 April 1924, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly as co-member, with Newton, for Mazoe under the system of double member constituencies then in existence.

On 30 January, 1925, he became Minister of Agriculture and Lands and in this capacity he played an important part in popularising Rhodesian tobacco in London, in encouraging the cotton industry and in promoting agricultural co-operative efforts.

On 14 October, 1927, he took over the portfolio for Mines and Public Works, but continued to take a considerable interest in agricultural affairs.

John Downie was strongly critical of the management of the railways and several times clashed with the railway companies on that score. On the other hand, he was able to reach a satisfactory arrangement with the Chartered Company to solve the problems of simplifying the collection of mining revenue, and he took an important part in settling some of the differences between miners and farmers.

He remained in the Ministry till G.Mitchell succeeded him on 1 November, 1930. John Downie then took over Newton's post as High Commissioner for Southern Rhodesia in London, and continued to hold this position until 1935, when he retired to become Chairman of Rhodesia and Nyasaland Airways. He was a member of the Southern Rhodesian delegation to the Imperial Economic Conference at Ottawa in 1932. In 1939 he returned to the work of administrator as Controller of Suppliers. He left considerable estate and in his will endowed the John Downie Bursaries for Prince Edward School and the Girl's High School, Salisbury.

In 1929 John Downie received the award of companion (CMG) to The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George.

ee also

Southern_Rhodesian_general_election,_1928

References

Extract from the "Guide to the Historical Manuscripts in the National Archives of Rhodesia" by T.W.Baxter and E.E.Burke (published by National Archives of Rhodesia 1970). as provided by Geoff Quick, Francistown, Botswana. Victor Ellen, New Zealand- from "Who Was Who" 1929-1940 page 382, presently stored in the British Parliament archives.http://www.gdownie.talktalk.net/Hon_John%20Wallace%20Downie%20story.htm