Francis Huntly Griffith

JP, UM In Sri Lanka, a Justice of the Peace and Unofficial magistrate (also known as Acting magistrate) is a judicial appointment made by the Minister of Justice to a particular jurisdiction under the ''Judicature Act No 02 of 1978''. An Unofficial magist ...

(1885 – 1958) was a tea and rubber planter in Ceylon and a member of

parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

. Francis Huntly Griffith was born in

Glasbury Glasbury (), also known as Glasbury-on-Wye, is a village and community in Powys, Wales. The village lies at an important crossing point on the River Wye, connecting the historic counties of Brecknockshire and Radnorshire, and is located just outs ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, in 1885, the oldest of five children of Reverend Hubert George Griffith (c.1849-c.1927) the vicar of

and Marion Douglas née Tucker (1864-c.1942). He travelled to

Ceylon 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, ...

in 1909 taking up a position as a manager of a tea plantation in

Matugama Mathugama (, ) is a semi urban town surrounded by mountains. It is an electorate of the Kalutara district, in Western Province, Sri Lanka. The town is located to the south of Colombo. Mathugama is part of the ''Pasdun Korale'' () (meaning: co ...

. In 1920 he took up the manager's role at a tea plantation in Agalawatta. In October 1928 he married Nancy Barton née Robinson, the only daughter of Sir Arthur Robinson and Lady Annie Summers Robinson, in St. Paul's Church,

Knightsbridge Knightsbridge is a residential and retail district in central London, south of Hyde Park, London, Hyde Park. It is identified in the London Plan as one of two international retail centres in London, alongside the West End of London, West End. ...

. In 1931 he was elected as vice-president of the Planters' Association of Ceylon, the preeminent representative body of the country's tea industry. On 12 March 1936 he was appointed as a nominated member of the

State Council of Ceylon The State Council of Ceylon was the unicameral legislature for Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), established in 1931 by the Donoughmore Constitution. The State Council gave universal adult franchise to the people of the colony for the first time. It ...

. Following Ceylon's first parliamentary elections in 1947, Griffith was appointed as a member of the Ceylon House of Representatives. He was one of six members appointed by the

Governor-General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

, to represent important interests which were not represented or inadequately represented in the House. He resigned from parliament in September 1951 and his position was filled by

Robert Singleton-Salmon Robert Singleton Salmon, (24 October 1897 – 1970) was a British tea planter, businessman and a member of parliament. Robert Singleton Salmon was born on 24 October 1897 in Toxteth Park, Liverpool, Lancashire, the youngest son of Frederick ...

. He and his wife migrated to Australia in 1952, where they resided in Ferny Creek, Victoria. Huntly died in July 1958 in Melbourne, Victoria.

References

1885 births 1958 deaths Planters from British Ceylon Members of the 2nd State Council of Ceylon Members of the 1st Parliament of Ceylon Sri Lankan people of Welsh descent People from Powys British expatriates in British Ceylon {{SriLanka-politician-stub