William Richard Townsend (died 1914) was a British lawyer who served with the

Colonial Service The Colonial Service, also known as His/Her Majesty's Colonial Service and replaced in 1954 by Her Majesty's Overseas Civil Service (HMOCS), was the British government service that administered most of Britain's overseas possessions, under the aut ...

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 ...

and

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...

in the early 20th century.

Early life and education

Townsend was born the son of Edward and Judith Townsend. He graduated with a bachelor of laws from

Trinity College, Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Univ ...

Legal career

Townsend was appointed as

Attorney General of the Gambia The Attorney General of the Gambia is a cabinet-level position in 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 cou ...

on 1 May 1902, the first in the colony's history. He was appointed to the Executive and Legislative Councils of the Gambia on 26 September 1902. He was appointed as Chief Magistrate of the Gambia on 18 January 1907, and as a judge in

on 22 October 1908. He was appointed as a circuit judge but also 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 ...

on its

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

. He was appointed as the Attorney General of the Gold Coast on 16 November 1912.

Personal life

Townsend married Emily Mabel Townshend in 1907. She was the daughter of Richard Horatio Townshend and Frances Maria Maunsell. He died in 1914, killed at sea.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Townsend, William Richard 1914 deaths Attorneys general of the Gold Coast (British colony) Attorneys general of the Gambia Gambia Colony and Protectorate judges