Francis Smith (30 June 1847 – 25 November 1912) was a Sierra Leonean
Puisne Judge
Puisne judge and puisne justice () are terms for an ordinary judge or a judge of lesser rank of a particular court. The term comes from a combination of the two French words, (since, later) and (born) which have been combined as or ; meaning ...
in the
Gold Coast. He was the second Sierra Leonean to qualify as a barrister after he passed the bar at
Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court entitled to Call to the bar, call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple (with whi ...
on 26 January 1871.
Early life and background
Francis Smith was born in 1847 to William Smith Jr., registrar of the Mixed Commissary Court in
Freetown
Freetown () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, e ...
, Sierra Leone, and his wife, Charlotte Smith (née Macaulay).
William Smith was born in
Cape Coast
Cape Coast is a city and the capital of the Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly, Cape Coast Metropolitan District and the Central Region (Ghana), Central Region of Ghana, Ghana. It is located about from Sekondi-Takoradi and approximately from Ac ...
in the Gold Coast and was the son of a
Fante princess and Judge William Smith Sr (1795–1875), who served as head of the Mixed Commissary Church in Freetown. Charlotte Macaulay was born to Mary Harding, a
Jamaican Maroon mother, and
Kenneth Macaulay, a distant relation of
Lord Macaulay and second cousin to
Zachary Macaulay
Zachary Macaulay (; 2 May 1768 – 13 May 1838) was a Scottish statistician and abolitionist who was a founder of London University and of the Society for the Suppression of Vice, and a Governor of British Sierra Leone.
Early life
Macaulay wa ...
.
Education
Smith was educated at
Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield
Queen Elizabeth Grammar School (QEGS) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (day school, no boarding) for boys in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. The school was founded by Royal Charter of Elizabeth I of England, Queen Elizabet ...
in
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...
.
After completing his secondary education, he entered
Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court entitled to Call to the bar, call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple (with whi ...
on 10 January 1868 and was
called to the bar
The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...
in 1871.
Judicial career
Smith rose rapidly through the judicial ranks and was appointed Chief Magistrate of
The Gambia
The Gambia, officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. Geographically, The Gambia is the List of African countries by area, smallest country in continental Africa; it is surrounded by Senegal on all sides except for ...
in 1879. He was appointed a
Puisne Judge
Puisne judge and puisne justice () are terms for an ordinary judge or a judge of lesser rank of a particular court. The term comes from a combination of the two French words, (since, later) and (born) which have been combined as or ; meaning ...
of the
Supreme Court of the Gold Coast Colony in 1887,
and later considered for appointment as Chief Justice.
Family and descendants
Smith was the younger brother of
Dr. Robert Smith (1840–1885), who served as Assistant Colonial Surgeon in Sierra Leone. Smith was the maternal grandfather of
Frances Wright through her mother, Eva Wright (née Smith), and his great-grandson and namesake is
Emile Francis Short, the first justice on the
Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice.
Retirement and death
At the time of his retirement in 1907, Smith was the only African serving on a superior court, and another would not be named until the 1930s.
He retired to England and died in London on 12 May 1912.
His achievements were recognized in glowing tributes across West Africa.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Francis
Sierra Leone Creole people
Sierra Leonean people of Jamaican Maroon descent
Sierra Leonean people of British descent
Sierra Leonean people of Caribbean descent
Sierra Leone Colony and Protectorate people
1847 births
1912 deaths