Rhodesia (region) was first used to refer to the region by white settlers in the 1890s who informally named their new home after Cecil Rhodes, the Company's founder and managing director. It was used in newspapers from 1891 and was made official by the Company in 1895. To confuse matters, Southern Rhodesia, which became a self-governing colony of the United Kingdom in 1923, referred to itself simply as "Rhodesia" from 1964 to 1979, and in 1965 unilaterally declared independence under that name. It thereafter briefly renamed itself "Zimbabwe Rhodesia" in 1979. The usage of the term Rhodesia to refer to the historical
George Mitchell (Rhodesian politician) George Mitchell (Rhodesian politician) George Mitchell (1 April 1867 – 4 July 1937) served as Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia from July to September 1933. Born in Ayrshire, he emigrated to South Africa in 1889, and moved to Matabeleland six years later to work as the manager of the Bank of Africa branch in Bulawayo. In 1901 he left the bank to become General Manager of the Rhodesia Exploration and Development Company, which sought to build up property. After retiring in 1918, he devoted himself to politics where he was a supporter of the Rhodesia Party and of responsible government