On this day in 1970, Prime Minister Ian Smith declared Republic of Rhodesia and Clifford Dupont was named the interim president.
On this day in 1976, the former Rhodesian politician John Wrathall (late) was sworn in as the country’s President to succeed his former Clifford Dupont (late) who had died of cancer. Wrathall was the country’s second President following the 1969 Constitution which made Rhodesia a republic and severed the remaining ties to the British Crown.