Sir Mark Wilson (22 October 1896 – 10 April 1956) was an Irish-born British colonial administrator and judge. He was Chief Justice of the Gold Coast from 1948 until his death in 1956. Wilson was born in Castlecomer,

Kilkenny Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512. Kilken ...

. He was educated at Kilkenny College, Mountjoy School, and

Trinity College, Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

(BA, LLB). His university education was interrupted by service with the Royal Air Force from 1918 to 1919. He was Auditor of the College Historical Society and captained Wanderers F.C. He was called to the Irish Bar in 1924, before joining the

Colonial Administrative 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 ...

in Tanganyika as a Cadet the same year. In 1926 he was transferred to Uganda as a District Magistrate, being promoted to Senior Magistrate in 1935. In 1936 he returned to Tanganyika as a puisne judge. In 1948 he was appointed as Chief Justice of the Gold Coast. He died in office. He was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in the 1950 King's Birthday Honours List. While Chief Justice of the Gold Coast, he presided over the

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

sitting in January 1956 on allegations of misconduct against Emmanuel Obetsebi-Lamptey leading to the suspension of Obetsebi-Lamptey for two years. Wilson died in Accra in 1956; he was succeeded as Chief Justice by Kobina Arku Korsah, the first African to hold the post.

Family

Wilson married Dr Isabella Kilpatrick McNeilly in 1927; they had one son and two daughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Mark People educated at Kilkenny College 1956 deaths Irish colonial officials Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Auditors of the College Historical Society Colonial Administrative Service officers Royal Air Force personnel Knights Bachelor Irish barristers Gold Coast (British colony) judges Tanganyika (territory) judges Uganda Protectorate judges Irish rugby union players 1896 births People from Castlecomer Lawyers from County Kilkenny