Sir Philip Crampton Smyly (28 March 1866–1953) was a British judge and colonial administrator.

Career

Smyly was the son of the surgeon Sir Philip Crampton Smyly, Surgeon-in-ordinary to

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

and to successive Lords-Lieutenant of Ireland, and grandson of

Ellen Smyly Ellen Smyly (née Franks, 1815–1901) was an Irish charity worker. She was born on 14 November 1815, the daughter of Matthew Franks. She became a prominent philanthropist, fund-raising and setting up homes and schools for the poor. The Smyly Hom ...

. His mother was the Hon. Selina Marina Plunket, daughter of the 3rd Baron Plunket.

Sierra Leone

He was

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

Sierra Leone 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 ...

when he was appointed Chief Justice of that protectorate in November 1901. 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 1905 and held the post until 1911. His photographs from his stay in Sierra Leone are kept as part of the

Royal Commonwealth Society The Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) is a non-governmental organisation with a mission to promote the value of the Commonwealth and the values upon which it is based. The Society upholds the values of the Commonwealth Charter, promoting confli ...

collection held in the

Cambridge University Library Cambridge University Library is the main research library of the University of Cambridge. It is the largest of the over 100 libraries within the university. The Library is a major scholarly resource for the members of the University of Cambri ...

Gold Coast

He was appointed

Chief Justice of the Gold Coast The Chief Justice of Ghana is the highest-ranking judge of the Supreme Court of Ghana. The chief justice is also the head of the Judiciary of Ghana and is responsible for its administration and supervision. In order of state precedence, the chief ...

(present-day

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

) on 14 September 1911. The Governor at the time of his appointment in the Gold Coast was Sir James Thorburn, but most of his career in the Gold Coast was under two Governors of unusual qualities, Sir

Hugh Clifford Sir Hugh Charles Clifford, (5 March 1866 – 18 December 1941) was a British colonial administrator. Early life Clifford was born in Roehampton, London, the sixth of the eight children of Major-General Sir Henry Hugh Clifford and his wife Jos ...

(1912–1919) and Sir

Gordon Guggisberg Brigadier-General Sir Frederick Gordon Guggisberg, (20 July 1869 – 21 April 1930) was a senior Canadian-born British Army officer and British Empire colonial administrator. He published a number of works on military topics and Africa. Early ...

(1919–1927).

Family

Smyly married, in 1905, his cousin Aileen Smyly, daughter of Sir William Josiah Smyly (1850–1941), President Royal College of Physicians in Ireland, by Eleanor Colpoyse Tweedy.

Notes

1866 births 1953 deaths Colonial Legal Service officers History of Ghana Sierra Leone Colony and Protectorate judges Gold Coast (British colony) judges Chief justices of Sierra Leone Attorneys-General of the Sierra Leone Colony and Protectorate {{Ghana-bio-stub