Today in History: January 3

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – On this day in Bahamian history, Richard Fitzwilliam was appointed Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Bahama Islands in 1733.

Fitzwilliam began serving his term as governor in November 1733 to 1738. Mount Fitzwilliam on which Government House sits is named after him.

The Comet, an American slave ship, transporting 164 enslaved persons from the District of Columbia to New Orleans, was wrecked on Bahama banks near Abaco in 1831.

The 164 enslaved persons were taken to New Providence, where they were freed. The British government paid indemnity for these slaves in 1855.

On this day in 1995, Orville Turnquest is sworn in as the fifth Governor-General of The Bahamas. He served from January 3, 1995, to November 13, 2001. He succeeded Sir Clifford Darling, who served in the post from 1992 to 1995.

The Orville Turnquest National Security Building was named after him on February 21, 2021.