Herbert Duffus

Sir Herbert George Holwell Duffus (30 August 1908 – 25 October 2002) was a Jamaican Chief Justice and acting Governor-General.

Early life

Duffus was born on 30 August 1908 in St. Ann's Bay, Jamaica, the son of William Alexander Duffus and Emily Mary Holwell. He attended Cornwall College in Jamaica from 1919 to 1924 and became a solicitor in the Supreme Court of Jamaica on 12 May 1930.[1][2] From 1939 to 1943, he was the Commanding Captain of the Jamaican Home Guard in St. Thomas.[3]

Career

Duffus had a lengthy career in the judiciary, serving as Resident Magistrate (1946–58), Pusine Judge (1958–62), and Judge of Appeal (1962–64). From 1964 to 1967, he was President of the Court of Appeal. He was then appointed Chief Justice of Jamaica in 1968, serving in that capacity until 1973.[4] Following the retirement of Sir Clifford Campbell on 28 February 1973, Duffus was appointed acting Governor-General until the role was assumed by Sir Florizel Glasspole on 27 June 1973.[5] He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth on 4 March 1966.[6][7]

Following the events of "Bloody Sunday" in December 1973, President of Grenada Eric Gairy tasked Duffus with heading the Commission of Inquiry into the Breakdown of Law and Order and Police Brutality in Grenada. The committee, nicknamed the Duffus Commission, concluded its investigation on 16 May 1974.[8]

Personal life and death

Duffus married Elsie Mary Hollinsed on 10 June 1939.[9] He died on 25 October 2002 aged 94.[10]

References
  1. The International Year Book and Statesmen's Who's who. Burke's Peerage Limited. 1998. p. 822.
  2. Who's who in Jamaica ...: A Biennial Biographical Record Containing Careers of Principal Public Men and Women of Jamaica. S. A. Hill. 1969. p. 131.
  3. Who's who Jamaica. 1951. p. 169.
  4. Thompson, Kimone (5 August 2012). "Proud to be Jamaican". Jamaica Observer.
  5. Harris M. Lentz (4 February 2014). Heads of States and Governments Since 1945. Routledge. p. 449. ISBN 978-1-134-26490-2.
  6. "The Queen Knights Mr. Justice Duffus". National Library of Jamaica. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  7. "The London Gazette" (PDF). 21 March 1967. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  8. Wendy C. Grenade (28 January 2015). The Grenada Revolution: Reflections and Lessons. Univ. Press of Mississippi. p. 42. ISBN 978-1-62674-345-8.
  9. Owen Lancelot Levy (1962). Personalities in the Caribbean. Personalities Limited. p. 153.
  10. "The year that was 2002". The Gleaner. 3 January 2003.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.