Robert Baxter Llewelyn

Sir Robert Baxter Llewelyn was a colonial administrator in the British Empire.

Appointments

1878-1883: Commissioner of the Turks and Caicos Islands
1885-1888: Governor of Tobago
1886-1889: Administrator of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
1889-1891: Commissioner of Saint Lucia
1891-1900: Administrator of the Colony of the Gambia
7 November 1900 – 1906: Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Windward Islands and their dependencies
1900-1906: Governor of Grenada

During his time as the Governor of the Windward Isles Llewelyn oversaw the response to the 1902 eruption of La Soufriere Volcano on St. Vincent. On the morning of the climactic eruption he left the island of St. Vincent for a meeting in St. Lucia, but made some observations of activity as his ship sailed past, and later returned. This impacted trust in his governance around recovery and response to further explosions. He later returned £33,000 of the £77,000 raised for relief efforts as decision-making around this was slow and acrimonious. The needs of the refugee populations were not met, and many were encouraged to move overseas for employment.