Daphne Ewings - In the few years before the outbreak of WW2, business declined in the general depression and the partner absconded leaving Mr Vasey bankrupt. Mr Vasey accepted responsibility and set about restoring the status quo and vowed that ultimately all creditors would be paid. Indeed he achieved his goal and was discharged from bankruptcy. Back in business he progressed well and stood for Legco and was duly elected having secured the support and respect of the electorate. He was a man of very considerable acumen and his work in Legco demonstrated his command of fiscal affairs of which he became the leader and in due course was appointed Finance Member and Knighted, Sir Ernest. During the war he married Hanna, serving in the W.T.S.  

Debrett - was a MLC, Kenya 1945-50, and Member for Health, Local Govt. and Education 1950-52, since when Member for Finance; Mayor of Nairobi 1941-2 and 1944-46

EA & Rhodesia - 3/12/59 - Sir Ernest Vasey, formerly Minister of Finance in Kenya, has been appointed Minister of Finance in Tanganyika. He takes up his new duties in January …. The appointment has met with widespread approval. Sir Ernest Vasey is 58, the son of a professional actress. His early years were spent travelling round England with a repertory company; his formal education ended when he was 12. He settled in Kenya in 1936. He went into business and held directorships in many industries, including manufacturing, hotel, cinema and brewing. In 1938 he became Town Councillor in Nairobi and served three times as mayor. He entered the Legislative Council in 1945 when he captured Nairobi North. Three years later he became first chairman of the non-official members' organization, and chairman of the European elected members. ………..  

He was appointed CMG in 1945 and KBE in this years Birthday Honours.

Rhodesia - Minister for Finance and Development in Kenya since 1951, was first elected a member of the Legislative Council in 1945, having twice previously held the office of mayor of Nairobi. He was the first chairman of the Non-Official Members Organization of the Legislative Council, and was later chairman of the European Elected Members Organization. In 1950 he was appointed Member (Minister) for Health and Local Government, and the portfolio of Education was added soon afterwards. Before joining the Council of Ministers he was a director of many East African companies.

Member of Lodge Harmony - Initiated 3/6/46, age 43, Company Director, Nairobi, died Dec. 1983

Nicholls - WW2 - Other recreation was offered by the three cinemas - with E.A. Vasey, later a prominent politician, as the manager/doorman of one of them, the Empire.

Nicholls - Hannah Vasey, wife of Ernest, was barred from the same establishment [Nairobi Club] because of her German-Jewish ancestry.

Masonic - Princ. Of the District Board of General Purposes - 1973-74

Web - President of Nairobi Rotary Club - 1949-50

Karen 50 - One of the original members of Karen Club in 1937

Gazette 17 Feb 1984 probate

Joan Karmali, A School in Kenya, 2002  An autodidact with a photographic memory, this illegitimate son of an itinerant actress first made his name in the 1930s as a conservative in local government politics in Shrewsbury. He was also an accomplished actor. Coming to Kenya in 1937 he became involved in business in Nairobi, managed a cinema and was soon elected by a European electorate to the town council. By the mid 1940s he was mayor of Nairobi and an elected member of the Legislative Council, his style and interests appealing to the local business community. However, he was less welcome to the establishment because of his background. Married twice, both his wives were Jewish and this fact was held against him. His wife Hannah's parents had been murdered by the Nazis at Auschwitz. A spirited individual, she managed to put the past behind her and was an ardent supporter of her husband's liberal views on race. The Governor Philip Mitchell thought so highly of Vasey that he will soon appointed an official member of the Legislative Council, crossing the floor and being appointed first, Minister of Education and local government and later, during the emergency, Minister of Finance. Vasey was small and quiet spoken. During the Emergency Vasey and Blundell were probably the two ministers Governor Baring saw most of, and in comparison to the bluff, florid, voluble, rather overbearing Blundell, Vasey may at first sight have appeared colourless. Blundell was adept at the art of self-promotion, something quite foreign to Vasey. Vasey although quiet could be forceful and was one of Kenya's most effective ministers, much respected in the City of London where he succeeded in raising the finance which saved Kenya from bankruptcy during the Emergency. When presenting the annual budget in the Legislative Council his theatrical talents, acquired and honed in his youthful years as an actor, came into full play. Vasey's worth, together with his lack of colour prejudice, was eventually appreciated by some Asian industrialists, to whom he became a valued financial adviser who promoted the expansion of their business worldwide.

Interview with Lord Howick (Evelyn Baring) by Margery Perham 24 Nov 1971, Bodleian Library Mss Afr.s.1575 Vasey and I were always very careful never to disagree in public - we always fixed everything before. Vasey was very unpopular with most of the settlers who were very unreasonable. They urged me to get rid of Vasey and Hope-Jones. Vasey was slightly temperamental. He twice wanted to resign, once out of jealousy of Michael Blundell. They were both liberal-minded but intensely jealous of one another.

Tape recorded interview with Sir Richard Turnbull by George Bennett 26 April 1968 Bodleian Library Mss Afr.s. 108  Vasey could see, as could I and my civil service colleagues, that the future of East Africa was bound to be an African future and matters like universal franchise and an enormous increase in African representation were inevitable. The European population refused to believe it. Vasey had a fine political nose, though he tended to persuade himself he was the political saviour of East Africa.

Walter Coutts interviewed by George Bennett 11 Dec 1967, Bodleian Library Mss Afr.s.1621   He was an extremely able and astute finance minister. Always wanted to have his finger in every pie and he did in fact have the ear of the governor when it was bearing and I think probably brought his influence very considerably to bear during that oeriod. I admired his ability enormously because he was an extremely astute politician as well as being an astute financier, and the only grumble I had about him and had words with him about, was when he tried to run other people's ministries for them as well. Remember having words with him about my Ministry of Education because he tried to run it for me. And he was as you know highly unpopular. Uncopular not only within the government but unpopular outside it. The album popularity I think stemmed on the part of the right wingers because they thought he was too left wing and the unpopularity within government was that it was felt that he was really trying to be the government. Nevertheless Daisy had far far greater long sightedness on what was likely to happen in Kenya than most other people.