Sir Henry Josiah Lightfoot Boston,

GCMG The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honour ...

(19 August 1898 – 14 December 1969) was a

Sierra Leonean Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...

and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

. He was the first

Governor-General of Sierra Leone This is a list of the heads of state of Sierra Leone, from the independence of the Sierra Leone in 1961 to the present day. From 1961 to 1971 the head of state under the Constitution of Sierra Leone, Constitution of 1961 was the queen of Sier ...

. He was a member of the Creole ethnic group (descendant of freed slaves from

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

, United States and Great Britain landed in

Freetown Freetown is the 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, educational and p ...

between 1792 and 1855).

Career

Lightfoot Boston served as Speaker of the

Parliament of Sierra Leone Parliament of Sierra Leone is the legislative branch of the government of Sierra Leone. It is principally responsible for making laws. The Sierra Leone parliament consists of 146 members, of which 132 members are directly elected from across Si ...

from 1957 to 1962 and as

from 7 July 1962 to 26 March 1967. He was preceded by British diplomat Sir Maurice Henry Dorman and succeeded after a coup d'état by Brigadier

Andrew Juxon-Smith Brigadier Andrew Terence Juxon-Smith (30 November 1931 – 1996) was a Creole politician and military officer in Sierra Leone. He was briefly (27 March 1967 to 18 April 1968) Chairman of the National Reformation Council and acting Governor-Genera ...

Legacy

Lightfoot Boston Street in Freetown is named in his honor. Lightfoot Boston's image is featured on a 50 Leone coin issued by the

Bank of Sierra Leone The Bank of Sierra Leone is the central bank of Sierra Leone. It issues the country's currency, known as the Sierra Leonean leone, Leone. The bank formulates and implements monetary policy, including foreign exchange. Organisation and activit ...

References

External links

List of Sierra Leonean heads of state
1898 births 1969 deaths Fourah Bay College alumni Alumni of the University of London Governors-General of Sierra Leone Speakers of the Parliament of Sierra Leone People from Freetown Sierra Leonean politicians Sierra Leone Creole people People of Sierra Leone Creole descent Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Sierra Leonean knights {{UK-gov-bio-stub