John Middleton

Who was John Middleton?

Sir John Middleton KBE, CMG was a British colonial administrator.

Middleton joined the Colonial Office in 1901, serving in south Nigeria for six years as a junior official before moving on to Mauritius until 1920 when he was promoted to governor of the Falkland Islands from 1920 to 1927, Gambia from 1927 to 1928 and Newfoundland from 1928 to 1932.

He was Governor of Newfoundland during a period of acute political crisis that was exacerbated by the Great Depression. In 1932, he was asked to investigate allegations that the Prime Minister of Newfoundland, Sir Richard Squires had falsified cabinet minutes in an attempt to coverup evidence of corruption involving his government. Middleton's conclusions that there was no evidence of tampering resulted in a riot outside his office on April 5, 1932 that helped bring down the Squires government. Middleton retired from public life following his term in Newfoundland and returned to England.