| Honorific-Prefix: | Captain The Honourable Sir |
| Bede Clifford | |
| Office: | Governor of The Bahamas |
| Term Start: | 10 January 1932 |
| Term End: | 1937 |
| Primeminister: | Ramsay MacDonald |
| Predecessor: | Sir Charles Orr |
| Successor: | Sir Charles Dundas |
| Office1: | Governor of Mauritius |
| Term Start1: | 23 October 1937 |
| Term End1: | 16 April 1942 |
| Monarch1: | George VI |
| Primeminister1: | Neville Chamberlain Winston Churchill |
| Predecessor1: | Sir Wilfrid Jackson |
| Successor1: | Sir Donald Mackenzie-Kennedy |
| Office2: | Governor of Trinidad and Tobago |
| Term Start2: | 8 June 1942 |
| Term End2: | 6 March 1947 |
| Monarch2: | George VI |
| Primeminister2: | Winston Churchill Clement Attlee |
| Predecessor2: | Sir Hubert Young |
| Successor2: | Sir John Shaw |
| Birth Date: | 1890 7, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | New Zealand |
| Death Place: | Surrey, England |
| Occupation: | Statesman |
Captain Sir Bede Edmund Hugh Clifford (3 July 1890 – 6 October 1969)[1] was a British diplomat and colonial administrator,[2] born in New Zealand, where his parents had moved in an unsuccessful attempt at sheep-farming.[3]
His parents were William Hugh Clifford, 10th Baron Clifford of Chudleigh and Catherine Mary Bassett. After New Zealand they moved to Tasmania; he did not attend a regular school until he was 10. He attended Xavier College, Melbourne[4] where he was a gifted student.[5] This was followed by study at Melbourne University, becoming a surveyor, then a merchant navy officer.[3]
After serving as an army captain in the Royal Fusiliers during World War I, where he gained the rank of Captain, he worked in imperial administration and diplomacy. From 1917 he was aide-de-camp, then Private Secretary to the Governor-General of Australia, Sir Ronald Ferguson.[6] From 1921 to 1931, he was Secretary to the Governor-General of South Africa, first to Prince Arthur of Connaught and then to the Earl of Athlone.[7]
In 1931, it was announced that Clifford would be appointed Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Bahamas. He was later appointed the 24th Governor of Mauritius from 23 October 1937 to 16 April 1942. He then became Governor of Trinidad and Tobago from 1942 to 1947.[7] and was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
He married Alice Devin Gundry in 1925 in Cleveland, Ohio. They had three daughters:
Clifford was appointed Member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO) on 18 August 1920 in recognition of his services in the Royal Fusiliers as Military Secretary to the Governor-General of Australia,[9] which was presented to him by the then Prince of Wales during his visit to Australia. He was then made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) on 1 January 1924 in recognition of his services as Secretary to the Governor General of South Africa. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) on 1 January 1931 in recognition of his services as Imperial Secretary to the South African High Commission and Representative in the Union of South Africa of the UK Government. As Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Bahama Islands, he was promoted to the rank of Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) on 3 June 1933. On 28th December 1944, he was appointed Knight of the Order of St John (KStJ). He was promoted to the rank of Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) on 1 January 1945. He was also awarded the Legion of Merit by the United States.[1]
| Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) | 1945 | ||
| Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) | 1933 | ||
| Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) | 1924 | ||
| Knight of Grace of the Venerable Order of St John of Jerusalem (KStJ) | 1944 | ||
| USA | |||
| Commander of the Order of the Bath (CB) | 1931 | ||
| Member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO) | 1920 |