Alfred Adderley

Alfred Francis Adderley (16 November 1891–16 June 1953) (often cited as A. F. Adderley) was a Bahamian lawyer, Member of Parliament and acting Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. His son was the Attorney-General, Paul Adderley.

Early life and education

Adderley was born in Nassau, Bahamas on 16 November 1891.[1][2] He was the son of parliamentarian Wilfred P. Adderley[2][3] and his wife Letitia (née McMinn).[4] He was his parents' only child but he had older half-siblings from his mother's first marriage.[4] Adderley attended Boys’ Central School and Nassau Grammar School.[1] He then went abroad to Denstone College in Staffordshire, England from 1908-1911.[5]

He obtained a bachelors of arts and a bachelors of law from St Catharine’s College, Cambridge[1] in 1926.[6]

Career

Adderley was called to the Bar at the Middle Temple on 14 May 1919.[3] He returned to the Bahamas where he went on to become a renowned trial attorney, known for his work on cases such as the Forrester Scott-Stanley Boynton kidnapping case,[7][8][3] an assault on Errol Flynn[9][10] and the murder of Sir Harry Oakes.[10][11][12]

He was elected to the House of Assembly in 1923.[11][12][13] In 1938, he was appointed to the Legislative Council.[7][13][14] In 1946, he became the first black person appointed to the Executive Council.[4] He served as Acting Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in 1951, becoming in the process the country's first black chief justice.[9][10][15]

He was the founder and first president of the Bahamas Amateur Athletic Association,[1] the founder of the Bahamas Cricket Association[4] and also Vice President of the Bahamas Olympic Association.[1]

Honours

In 1951, he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the King’s Birthday Honours.[16]

Death and legacy

Adderley represented the Bahamas at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.[10][17] He died on 16 June 1953, on the voyage back to the Bahamas.[9][17] He was 62.[10]

Both the A. F. Adderley High School[4] and the A.F. Adderley Auditorium in Nassau are named for him.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Alfred Francis Adderley CBE (16 Nov 1891–16 Jun 1953)". St Catharine's College, Cambridge. Retrieved 2026-01-03.
  2. ^ a b Bowe, Ruth (Jan 29, 2010). "Personalities: Alfred Francis Adderley". Bahamas Weekly. Retrieved 2026-01-03.
  3. ^ a b c "Negro is Prosecutor in Oakes Murder Case in Bahama Islands". The Michigan Chronicle. 21 Aug 1943. p. 5. Retrieved 6 Jan 2026 – via newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b c d e Glinton-Meicholas, Patricia (2016). "Adderley, Alfred Francis (1891–1953), barrister and parliamentarian". In Knight, Franklin W.; Gates, Jr., Henry Louis (eds.). Dictionary of Caribbean and Afro–Latin American Biography (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199935802.
  5. ^ "Young, Gifted and Black - Alfred Francis Adderley MHA 1924". Bahamianology. 2021-12-15. Retrieved 2026-01-03.
  6. ^ "University Intelligence: Cambridge". Birmingham Post. Oct 18, 1926. p. 2. Retrieved 3 January 2026 – via newspapers.com.
  7. ^ a b "Negro Lawyer Named to Bahamas Council". The Montreal Gazette. 9 May 1938. p. 11 – via newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Freed from Charge of Kidnap Attempt". Evening Banner. Bennington, Vermont. Apr 28, 1938. p. 3. Retrieved 3 January 2026 – via newspapers.com.
  9. ^ a b c "Noted Bahamas Official Dies". Atlanta Daily World. 19 June 1953. p. 1 – via newspapers.com.
  10. ^ a b c d e "Official of Bahamas Dies: Alfred F. Adderley Represented Islands at London Coronation". New York Times. June 17, 1953. p. 38. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  11. ^ a b "Famed Negro Barrister Holds Spotlight in Oakes' Trial". Journal and Guide. Norfolk, Virginia. 21 August 1943. p. 23. Retrieved 3 January 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  12. ^ a b "Negro Barrister in De Marigny Case". The Daily Worker. 28 October 1943. p. 3. Retrieved 3 January 2026 – via newspapers.com.
  13. ^ a b "Adderley, Famed Nassau Lawyer, in New Orleans". The Journal and Guide. Norfolk, Virginia. 17 June 1944. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved 3 January 2026 – via newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Appointment to the Legislative Council". The London Gazette. No. 34505. 26 April 1938. p. 2708.
  15. ^ "Negro Chief Justice". South Wales Argus. Newport, Gwent, Wales. 15 August 1951. p. 1. Retrieved 3 January 2026 – via newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Appointments to the Order of the British Empire". The London Gazette. No. 39243. 1 June 1951. p. 3083.
  17. ^ a b Annual Report for the Bahama Islands for the Years 1952 and 1953. London: Colonial Office. 1954. p. 4 – via HathiTrust.
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