Sir Richard Francis Morgan (21 February 1821 – 27 January 1876) was a Ceylonese (
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
n) lawyer, who served as the 13th
Queen's Advocate of Ceylon and acting
Chief Justice of Ceylon
The chief justice of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the head of the judiciary of Sri Lanka and the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka. Established in 1801, the chief justice is one of ten Supreme Court justices; the other nine are t ...
. He was the first Asian in the British Empire to receive a
Knighthood
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity.
The concept of a knighthood ...
and first Ceylonese to be a member of the Governor's
Executive Council and was an unofficial (Burgher) member of the
Legislative Council of Ceylon
The Legislative Council of Ceylon was the legislative body of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) established in 1833, along with the Executive Council of Ceylon, on the recommendations of the Colebrooke-Cameron Commission. It was the first form of represe ...
. He was the
Crown Advocate
Crown advocate is a title used in Britain and some former British colonies for a government prosecutor. In former British Colonies and certain British extraterritorial courts the title is (or was) used by the senior government advocate.
Great Br ...
who prosecuted famed bandit
Saradiel.
Sir Richard was the 11th and youngest child of Owen Richard Morgan, port magistrate of Colombo, and Behrana Lucretea Lourensz. He was educated at the
Colombo Academy.
Morgan was knighted in 1874, while serving as Crown Advocate of Ceylon. He was made acting Chief Justice of Ceylon, after
E. S. Creasy had returned to England on sick leave.
India and the East
''The Maitland Mercury & Hunter River General Advertiser'', 22 August 1874, p.2 His son was Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hillebrand Morgan.
See also
* Whist Bungalow
References
Citations
Bibliography
*
External links
Reclaiming the Burgher heritage
1821 births
1876 deaths
Acting chief justices of British Ceylon
Puisne justices of the Supreme Court of Ceylon
Attorneys general of British Ceylon
Members of the Legislative Council of Ceylon
Lawyers from Colombo
Alumni of Royal College, Colombo
Ceylonese advocates
Ceylonese Knights Bachelor
British Ceylon judges
Burgher people
Sri Lankan civil servants
{{Ceylon-bio-stub