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Robert John Hayfron-Benjamin

Robert John Hayfron-Benjamin
Appeal Court Judge
In office
1976–1977
In office
1981–1997
Chief Justice of Botswana
In office
1977–1981
Preceded byGeorge O. L. Dyke
Succeeded byJames Aiden O'Brien Quinn
High Court Judge
In office
24 June 1964 – 1976
Personal details
BornApril 1929
Gold Coast
Died22 September 2000(2000-09-22) (aged 71)
NationalityGhanaian
Alma materUniversity of London (LLB)

Robert John Hayfron-Benjamin (April 1929 – 22 September 2000) was a Ghanaian lawyer and judge. He was the Chief Justice of Botswana and an Appeal Court judge in Ghana. He was also the chairman of the Ghana Law Reform Commission and the deputy speaker of the Consultative Assembly that was established to help draft and interpret the 1992 constitution.[1] He attended Adisadel College.

Biography

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Hayfron-Benjamin was born in April 1929 in Ghana (then the Gold Coast).[2]

He studied at the University of London for his Bachelor of Laws degree[3] and proceeded to the Middle Temple, London, to study law. He was called to the bar in 1955.[2]

Hayfron-Benjamin begun as a private legal practitioner in Ghana from 1955 to 1963, when he was appointed Principal State Attorney.[2][4] On 24 June 1964, he was called to the bench of the High Court of Ghana and in 1966,[5][6] he doubled as a Solicitor General.[2][7] He served as a High Court judge from 1964 until 1976, when he was elevated to Appeal Court bench.[8]

In 1977, Hayfron-Benjamin was appointed Chief Justice of Botswana. He served in that capacity until 1981.[9] After his judicial service in Botswana, he returned to Ghana and resumed in his previous post as Justice of the Court of Appeal. He served in this capacity until his retirement from judicial service in 1997. In 1991, he was elected deputy speaker of the Consultative Assembly, an assembly that was established to help draft and interpret the 1992 constitution.[10]

Hayfron-Benjamin died in 2000, aged 71.[11]

Awards

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "West Africa, Issues 3860-3876". West Africa. Afrimedia International: 1509. 1991.
  2. ^ a b c d Wolfers, Michael (1976). Politics in the Organization of African Unity. Methuen. p. 112. ISBN 9780416769609.
  3. ^ Annual Reports- University of Cape Coast (Report). University of Cape Coast. 1971. p. 5.
  4. ^ A Sourcebook of the Constitutional Law of Ghana: pts. 1-2. The cases: 1872 through 1970. Faculty of Law, University of Ghana. 1972.
  5. ^ "Ghana Today". Ghana Today Volume 8. Information Section, Ghana Office: 6. 1964.
  6. ^ "The Supreme Court of Ghana Law Reports, Volume 2". The Supreme Court of Ghana Law Reports. Advanced Legal Publications: 1084. 2012.
  7. ^ Wolfers (1976). Politics in the Organization of African Unity. p. 111.
  8. ^ Angola Comité (Amsterdam, Netherlands) (1977). Facts & Reports (Report). Amsterdam, Holland : The Comité.
  9. ^ Dingake, O. B. (17 March 2020). Judges. Notion Press. ISBN 9781648288661.
  10. ^ "Annual Report, Issue 16". Annual Report. Ghana Law Reform Commission: 14. 1991.
  11. ^ "The late Robert John Hayfron-Benjamin (1929 - 2000)". 24 September 2020.