Elma Napier, known as Elma Gibbs and by the pen-name Elizabeth Garner, was a Scottish-born writer and politician who lived most of her life in the Caribbean island of Dominica.
15 Facts About Elma Napier
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Elma Napier published several novels and memoirs based on her life, and was the first woman elected to the legislature in Dominica.
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Elma Napier later adopted her mother's maiden name as a pen name.
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Elma Napier came to understand that she was expected to rehabilitate the family by entering a good marriage.
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The couple moved to Australia, where they lived for nine years until Elma met and fell in love with another English businessman, Lennox Pelham Napier.
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Elma Napier divorced Gibbs, losing custody of her children in the process.
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Elma Napier was first elected to the colony's Legislative Council that year, where she championed local government and development in the form of village boards and cooperative ventures.
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Elma Napier became involved in local conservation efforts to preserve Dominica's forests.
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Elma Napier remained at Pointe Baptiste, entertaining guests who included Somerset Maugham, Noel Coward, Patrick Leigh Fermor, and Princess Margaret.
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Elma Napier wrote two novels, both set in Dominica, that were published in the 1930s.
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Elma Napier wrote three memoirs, each covering a different stage of her life.
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Elma Napier died at Calibishie, Dominica, on 12 November 1973, aged 81.
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Elma Napier was buried, alongside her husband, near Pointe Baptiste.
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Elma Napier was posthumously honoured by Dominica with a postage stamp bearing her portrait.
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Elma Napier's grandson, Lennox Honychurch, is a Dominican historian and former politician.