Sir Salako Ambrosius Benka-Coker (1900–1965) was a Sierra Leonean judge of the Supreme Court and the first African to hold the position of Chief Justice of the newly independent state.[1] He was awarded a Knighthood of the British Empire in 1961.[2]
Sir Salako Benka-Coker | |
|---|---|
| Chief Justice of Sierra Leone | |
| In office 1960–1963 | |
| Preceded by | Vahe Robert Bairamian |
| Succeeded by | Samuel Bankole Jones |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Salako Benka-Coker 1900 |
| Died | 1965 |
| Profession | Jurist, Justice |
Early life and education
editBorn in 1900 to Sierra Leone Creole parents, Benka-Coker attended the Sierra Leone Grammar School in Freetown and later Fourah Bay College, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1916. He later attended Durham University, followed by the Middle Temple before being called to the Bar in 1926.[1]
Career and legal luminary
editBenka-Coker established a private legal practice in Bathurst, Gambia before accepting an appointment in 1943 as Crown Counsel in Sierra Leone. Between 1953 and 1957, he was attorney-general before his appointment as Chief Justice in 1960.[3][1]
References
edit- ^ a b c Fyle, Magbaily C. Historical Dictionary of Sierra Leone. Vol. 99. Scarecrow Press, 2006.
- ^ "Cheshire Smile (1966)" (PDF). www.rewind.leonardcheshire.org. 21 April 2023.
- ^ “Legal Education in Africa.” Journal of African Law, vol. 6, no. 1, 1962, pp. 1–1. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/745154. Accessed 21 Apr. 2023.
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