Derek Jones (mayor)
Derek Jones | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Mayor of Gaborone | |
| In office 1966–1968 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Grace Dambe |
| Member of the Gaborone City Council for South Ring | |
| In office 1965/66–1969 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1927 England |
| Died | 9 March 2013 (aged 86) England |
| Nationality |  United Kingdom Botswana |
| Spouse |
Joan Jones (m. 1948–2004) |
| Alma mater | University of Oxford (MA) Mansfield College, Oxford (Dip.Th.) |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 2 years |
John Derek Jones OBE (1927 – 9 March 2013) was an English Congregationalist missionary and politician in Botswana. A member of the Gaborone City Council, he served as the first Mayor of Gaborone from 1966 to 1968.
Biography
John was born in England in 1927.[1] He earned a master's degree at the University of Oxford, and then received his Diploma in Theology from Oxford's Mansfield College.[1][2][3] He served in Egypt in the Royal Air Force for two years.[1][2] After being ordained, he moved to the Bechuanaland Protectorate (now Botswana) in 1954 as a missionary of the London Missionary Society.[2][4] He later served as the Secretary of the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa.[3]
When Gaborone was built as the independent Botswana's new capital in the 1960s, it needed a government. Vice-President Quett Masire urged him to run for city council as a Botswana Democratic Party candidate, but Jones did not believe that would be appropriate for a clergyman.[1] Instead, he agreed to run as an independent and was elected unopposed in the South Ring constituency.[1] Soon after, he was chosen as the city's first mayor in 1966.[1] In 1968, he remained on the city council but stepped down as mayor, and way succeeded by Grace Dambe.[1] He served his full term on the city council, but chose not to run for reelection in 1969.[1] Soon after, he was awarded an OBE.[1]
From 1972 to 1993, he managed the Botswana Book Centre.[1][4] Later, he returned to England where he died on 9 March 2013, aged 86.[4]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Jones, Sandy. "Obituary of Moruti Derek Jones". Facebook. Government of Botswana. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ a b c Grant, Sandy (2009-06-18). "Our Heritage". Mmegi Online. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ a b Hayes, Sandra (2003). Who's who of Southern Africa. Argus Printing and Publishing. p. 501.
- ^ a b c "In Loving Memory of Rev Derek Jones (1927-2013)" (PDF). UCCSA Newsletter: 13. March 2013.
- 1927 births
- 20th-century Congregationalist ministers
- 21st-century Congregationalists
- Alumni of Mansfield College, Oxford
- Alumni of the University of Oxford
- British emigrants to Botswana
- Botswana people of English descent
- City councillors
- Congregationalist missionaries in Africa
- English Congregationalist ministers
- English Congregationalist missionaries
- Naturalized citizens of Botswana
- People from Gaborone
- Protestant missionaries in Botswana
- Botswana Congregationalist ministers
- 2013 deaths