MCCORMACK, JOHN
JOHN MCCORMACK John McCormack (March 24, 1791-March 20, 1865) was one of the few Europeans in the 19th century who spent almost their entire working lives in West Africa. Starting as a timber trader, he acquired a unique knowledge of the Sierra Leone hinterland, and its peoples, especially the Temne. He was later employed as […]
McCarthy, Charles
CHARLES MCCARTHY Sir Charles McCarthy (1769-1824) was a governor of Sierra Leone in the early 19th century and whose period of rule was looked back on as a golden age of internal prosperity. A man of vision and humanity, he was the first to face the task of rehabilitating the receptive population around Freetown. He […]
MARGAI, MILTON
MILTON MARGAI Sir Milton Margai (December 7, 1895 – April 28, 1964) the first prime minister of Sierra Leone, was an outstanding political leader, a pioneer in medical welfare, particularly in midwifery, and an acclaimed surgeon. A man of high integrity and a moderate approach to politics, his influence made possible an alliance between the […]
THOMAS GEORGE LAWSON
LAWSON, T.G. Thomas George Lawson (circa 1814-June 1891) was a chief’s son who became the first official interpreter and messenger operating between the colonial administration and the chiefs of the Sierra Leonean interior. So important was his function in maintaining good relation that his informal department was eventually turned into an Aborigines Branch of the […]
KAYAMBA
KAYAMBA Kayamba (who flourished in the mid-19th century), was a powerful Mende warrior and the founder of Moyamba, 96 km (60 mi) east-southeast of Freetown which grew to prosperity and prominence in the late 19th and 20th centuries becoming an important part of the Kpaa-Mende state. Born on the eastern extremities of Kpaa-Mende country at […]
