John Rankin (diplomat)

John Rankin
His Excellency; John Rankin; CMG
Governor of the British Virgin Islands
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 29 January 2021
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Preceded by	Augustus Jaspert
Governor of Bermuda
	In office; 5 December 2016 – 12 December 2020
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Preceded by	Ginny Ferson (acting)
Succeeded by	Rena Lalgie
United Kingdom High Commissioner to Sri Lanka
	In office; 2011–2015
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Preceded by	Peter Hayes
Succeeded by	James Dauris
United Kingdom Consul–General in Boston
	In office; 2003–2007
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Preceded by	George Fergusson
Succeeded by	Phil Budden
Personal details
Born	John James Rankin; 12 March 1957; United Kingdom

John James Rankin, CMG (born 12 March 1957) is a British diplomat and a former ambassador to Nepal. He has been Governor of Bermuda from December 2016 to December 2020.[1]

Early life

Rankin was educated at Hutchesons' Boys' Grammar School, the University of Glasgow, where he gained a first class honours degree in Scots law and later at McGill University he gained a master's degree in international law.

Career

He qualified and practised as a solicitor in Scotland and was a lecturer in public law at the University of Aberdeen before joining the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in 1988. Between posts at the FCO he served at the embassy in Dublin and was the consul-general at Boston. He took up his appointment as High Commissioner to Sri Lanka and non-resident High Commissioner to the Maldives in February 2011.[2] In 2015 he moved to be Ambassador to the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal.[3] He was sworn in as Governor of Bermuda on 5 December 2016.[4]

He was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the 2016 New Year Honours.[5]

In February 2018, Rankin signed into law the Domestic Partnerships Act 2018, which effectively reversed the right of gay couples to marry. This made Bermuda the first jurisdiction to legalise and then repeal same-sex marriage rights.[6] The law relating to same-sex marriage in Bermuda could change again, as the Supreme Court stated in June 2018 that repealing same-sex marriage rights was discriminatory and thus contrary to section 12 of the Bermudian Constitution.

In September 2020, it was announced that Rankin would be replacing Gus Jaspert as Governor of the British Virgin Islands in 2021. As such, he was replaced in December 2020 by Rena Lalgie as Governor of Bermuda.

Rankin will be sworn in as Governor of the British Virgin Islands on 29 January 2021, after arriving in the territory and observing the mandatory 14-day quarantine due to COVID-19.

Publications

The Right of Self-determination: Its Nature, Content and Beneficiaries in International Law, McGill University, 1984

Personal life

Rankin has a son and two daughters.

References

John Rankin, gov.uk
RANKIN, John James, Who's Who 2013, A & C Black, 2013; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2012

Johnston-Barnes, Owain (19 September 2016). "Rankin named new Governor". The Royal Gazette. Bermuda. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
Change of British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Foreign & Commonwealth Office, 1 September 2010
John Rankin, gov.uk
"Bermuda welcomes new Governor". The Royal Gazette. Bermuda. 5 December 2016. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
"No. 61450". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 2015. p. N4.
staff, Guardian; agencies (8 February 2018). "Bermuda becomes first jurisdiction in the world to repeal same-sex marriage". the Guardian. Retrieved 9 February 2018.

7. Governor Jaspert Announces BVI’s Next Governor | Government of the Virgin Islands

Diplomatic posts
Preceded by George Fergusson	Consul-General in Boston 2003–2007	Succeeded by Phil Budden
Preceded by Peter Hayes	High Commissioner to Sri Lanka and the Maldives 2011–2015	Succeeded by James Dauris
Preceded by Andrew Sparkes	Ambassador to Nepal 2015	Succeeded by Richard Morris
Preceded by Ginny Ferson Acting	Governor of Bermuda 2016–2020	Incumbent

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[1] Johnston-Barnes, Owain (19 September 2016). "Rankin named new Governor". The Royal Gazette. Bermuda. Retrieved 5 December 2016.

[2] Change of British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Foreign & Commonwealth Office, 1 September 2010

[3] John Rankin, gov.uk

[4] "Bermuda welcomes new Governor". The Royal Gazette. Bermuda. 5 December 2016. Retrieved 2 January 2017.

[5] "No. 61450". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 2015. p. N4.

[6] staff, Guardian; agencies (8 February 2018). "Bermuda becomes first jurisdiction in the world to repeal same-sex marriage". the Guardian. Retrieved 9 February 2018.