Ernest Lucas Guest
Sir Ernest Lucas Guest KBE CMG CVO (20 August 1882 – 20 September 1972) was a Rhodesian politician, lawyer and soldier. He held senior ministerial positions in the government, most notably as Minister for Air during the Second World War.
Colonel The Honourable Sir Ernest Lucas Guest KBE CMG CVO | |
|---|---|
Portrait of Col Ernest Lucas Guest | |
| Minister of Mines and Public Works | |
| In office 1 June 1938 – 1 February 1944 | |
| Prime Minister | Sir Godfrey Huggins |
| Preceded by | Robert Tredgold |
| Succeeded by | Leslie Fereday (Mines) Harry Bertin (Public Works) |
| Minister of Air | |
| In office 28 March 1940 – 6 May 1946 | |
| Prime Minister | Sir Godfrey Huggins |
| Preceded by | Robert Tredgold |
| Succeeded by | Himself (Defence and Air) |
| Minister of Internal Affairs | |
| In office 2 February 1944 – 10 May 1946 | |
| Prime Minister | Sir Godfrey Huggins |
| Preceded by | Harry Davies |
| Succeeded by | Hugh Beadle |
| Minister of Defence and Air | |
| In office 7 June 1946 – 15 September 1948 | |
| Prime Minister | Sir Godfrey Huggins |
| Preceded by | William Henry Ralston (Defence) Himself (Air) |
| Succeeded by | Sir Godfrey Huggins |
| Minister of Finance | |
| In office 7 May 1946 – 26 September 1946 | |
| Prime Minister | Sir Godfrey Huggins |
| Preceded by | Max Danziger |
| Succeeded by | Edgar Whitehead |
| Member of the Southern Rhodesian Legislative Assembly for Charter | |
| In office 19 September 1928 – 24 April 1946 | |
| Preceded by | Charles Edward Gilfillan |
| Succeeded by | Jacob Letterstedt Smit |
| Member of the Southern Rhodesian Legislative Assembly for Salisbury Gardens | |
| In office 25 April 1946 – 15 September 1948 | |
| Preceded by | Sir Percival Fynn |
| Succeeded by | Noel St. Quinton |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 20 August 1882 Grahamstown, Cape Colony (now South Africa) |
| Died | 20 September 1972 (aged 90) Salisbury, Rhodesia |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Rhodesia Party (1928–1933) United Party (1933–1946) |
| Spouse | Lady Edie Guest |
| Relations | Ivor Forbes Guest (nephew) Melville Guest (grandson) |
| Children |
|
| Parent | Herbert Melville Guest |
| Residence(s) | Salisbury, Rhodesia |
| Alma mater | St Andrew's College, Grahamstown |
| Profession | politician, soldier, lawyer |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | British Empire |
| Years of service | 1899–1919 |
| Rank | Lieutenant-Colonel |
| Battles/wars |
|
Guest was born in Grahamstown, Cape Colony. His grandfather had moved the family there, leaving Kidderminster, England, where it had been in the printing business for three generations. He saw active service in the Second Boer War, enlisting despite being underage, and again in the First World War, when he was injured in France. His legal career began while back in Southern Rhodesia between those two wars. He won a case against Sir Charles Coghlan, at the time Premier of Southern Rhodesia, and Coghlan invited him to become a partner in his firm, which became known as Coghlan, Welsh & Guest. On his return from the First World War, Guest took responsibility for the Salisbury practice.
He was elected to the Legislative Assembly in 1928 as a member of Coghlan's Rhodesia Party, representing the constituency of Charter, which he held until 1946. He first became a cabinet minister in Godfrey Huggins' government, appointed Minister of Mines and Public Works in June 1938. During the Second World War, Guest was Minister for Air and administered the Rhodesia Air Training Group. After the war he was also Minister of Defence, Minister of Finance and Leader of the House. At the 1946 elections he stood for Salisbury Gardens and held the seat until his retirement from office in 1948.
He married Edith May Jones and had two daughters and twin sons, both of whom were killed in action during the Second World War. At his death, both the High Court and Parliament paid public tributes to him. His continuing legacy is most evident in the Kariba Dam, a project that went ahead with his active support.