Today in History: October 7

smb('loadExternalVideo', 'watch', 'https://player.vimeo.com/external/1017278684.m3u8?s=c1409368c9b427d781e0c727e35988c9e3714887&logging=false', 740, 416, 'my_frame', 0);

Alexander Bannerman’s Birth in 1788

On October 7, 1788, Alexander Bannerman was born in Aberdeen, Scotland. Bannerman served as governor of The Bahamas from 1854 to 1857. The settlement of Bannerman Town, Eleuthera, is named after him.

Bannerman was a prominent businessman in Aberdeen, where he managed the family wine business. He also had involvement in trading and whaling. Bannerman served as the city’s provost and, in 1837, was elected dean of Marischal College, Aberdeen. He died in England after falling down a flight of stairs on December 30, 1864, at the age of 76.

John Pope Hennessy’s Death in 1891

On this day in 1891, John Pope Hennessy died in Rostellan, Ireland, at the age of 57. He died of heart failure at his residence. Hennessy served as governor of The Bahamas from 1873 to 1874.

Born in County Cork in 1834, Hennessy went to London in 1855 to further his studies at Charing Cross Hospital before entering public service. He also served as the eighth governor of Hong Kong and the fifteenth governor of Mauritius.

Hurricane Matthew Post-Assessment in 2016

In 2016, the Christie administration gave a post-assessment update on the destruction caused by Hurricane Matthew, which damaged hundreds of buildings, caused severe flooding, and resulted in one death.

Matthew originated from a tropical wave that emerged off Africa on September 22, 2016. It developed into a tropical storm near the Lesser Antilles on September 28 and became a hurricane north of Venezuela and Colombia on September 29. The storm weakened slightly but re-intensified as it tracked northwest, making landfall in the northern Bahamas.

Perry Christie – Former Prime Minister “The representative for West End and Bimini has indicated to us there’s been a loss of homes. Quite a number of homes have been destroyed. Many have been damaged, so there is significant loss in the West End community.”