Biography Of Sir Milo Butler, Governor General Commonwealth Of The Bahamas
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This is a digitised version of an article from The Cayman Compass's print archive. Occasionally, the digitisation process introduces transcription errors, or other problems.
See the article in its original context from August 1973.
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In 1936, Sir Milo ran against the late Sir Harry Oakes, but was defeated. The following year he ran against K.V.A. Rodgers in a by-election and won. He was
unopposed in the 1942 elections. That same year, the year of Burma Road, he stood atop an automobile and spoke to angry demonstrators who were dissatisfied with the pay and working conditions at Windsor Field then being constructed. In the 1949 elections, he was unsuccessful but in 1956, after joining the threeyear old Progressive Liberal Party, he was again victorious in his bid to represent the Western District. SPEAKER'S HOURGLASS Looking back to the time in 1956, when in a rare burst of temper, he tossed the Speaker's hourglass through a window of the House of Assembly as a result of the Government's introducing a 12-minute rule to curb lengthy speeches in debate, he likens that moment of recklessness to the time when Moses, angered by the errant Israelites, cast the tablets containing the Ten Commandments on the ground. Sir Milo held the seat in the Western District until the January 10, 1967 elections when his constituency was changed to Bains Town.
Following the PLP victory, he was appointed Minister of Health and Welfare. In the General Election of April 10, 1968, after an overwhelming PLP mandate from the electorate, Sir Milo retained his post, which subsequently was expanded to include Agriculture and Fisheries in a re-shuffle of portfolios.
Late in 1971, Labour and Welfare was assigned as a separate portfolio to the Hon. Clifford Darling. Following the September, 1972 General Election which the PLP won by a clear mandate, returning 29 of its members to the House of Assembly, Prime Minister Pindling said that he proposed to advise Her Majesty the Queen to appoint Sir Milo, "an outstanding patriarch," Governor General of the Commonwealth of the Bahama Islands when these Islands obtain their Independence from Great Britain on July 10, 1973.
In preparation for his new duties, Sir Milo continued as a member of the Cabinet as Minister without Portfolio until June 1, 1973 when he resigned from the Cabinet and the House of Assembly. He was sworn in as Governor-General yesterday. Through the years, Sir Milo has not had an easy task. He recalls a time when he was prevented from voicing his opinions in the House of Assembly by being locked up in the men's washroom to prevent his participation in a debate and subsequent vote on a major issue before the House. On several occasions he was ejected from meetings by the Sergeant at Arms.
An Anglican, he has served as a member of St. Matthews Vestry for 17 years, and for five years he has been a member of the Synod. A merchant, Sir Milo was President of Milo B. Butler & Sons Ltd. He is married to the former Caroline Lorette Watson of Morrisville, Long Island and is the father of 10 children, seven sons and three daughters.
Sir Milo's son, Milo Jr., is a Senator and Chairman of the Board casting Corporation of the Bahamas. His knighthood was conferred by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth 11, June 13, 1973. Bahamas Information Service
