United States Ambassador to Lesotho

High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! In the 19th century, the area of Southern Africa that is now Lesotho was populated by the Basotho people. Their lands became a single polity (state) under paramount chief Moshoeshoe I in 1822. The state was recognized by Britain in 1843 as Basutoland (or Basotholand). In order to protect his people from usurpations of his land by Voertrekkers of the Orange Free State, Moshoeshoe appealed to Queen Victoria for assistance, and in 1868 Basutoland was placed under British protection. Thus Basutoland became a member of the British Empire.In 1955 the Basutoland Council requested the British government to legislate its own internal affairs, and in 1959 a new constitution gave Basutoland its first elected legislature. This was followed in April 1965 with general legislative elections with universal adult suffrage.