William Hart-Bennett

Who was William Hart-Bennett?

William M. Hart-Bennett, CMG was a British government official who served overseas. He was a British colonial minister in Nassau, Bahamas and a Governor of British Honduras from January 29, 1918 to September 4, 1918, and before that was employed as Colonial Secretary of the Bahamas.

Hart-Bennett was married to Ella Mary Tuck, the daughter of Charles E. Tuck of Norwich, Ontario. Ella was an author and a prominent figure in Naussau's society. She was president of the Nassau Dumb Friends League and a member of the Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire. She is best remembered as the author of the book An English Girl In Japan. Ella died in the May 29, 1914 sinking of the RMS Empress of Ireland at the age of 49. Bennett himself died on September 4, 1918 from injuries sustained in an August 17, 1918 fire, when a flagpole at the courthouse fell on him. A new building was completed in 1926, and its clock tower memorializes him.