Donald Kingdon

Sir Donald Kingdon (24 November 1883 – 17 December 1961) was a British judicial officer who served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria from 1929 to 1946. He remains Nigeria's longest serving Chief Justice. He served under Graeme Thomson, Donald Cameron, Bernard Bourdillon, and Arthur Richards.

He also served as the Attorney-General of Nigeria, from 1919 to 1925, and edited and composed several authoritative books about West African laws.

Early life

Kingdon, who was born in November 1883, was the son of Walter Kingdon, of North Foreland, Kent, and Mary Elizabeth Billing, who was the daughter of John Billing FSA. He was educated at Eastbourne College, and at St John's College, Cambridge, and at Inner Temple, at which he was called to the bar in 1905. The commission report found that inadequate police training and undue restriction on the investigation of criminality contributed to the violations of law.

He was knighted in 1931. Kingdon and Kathleen Moody had one son and two daughters: 2. Richard Donald Kingdon (1917 - 1952). He married Leslie Eve Donnell. He died whilst piloting to Le Mans an aircraft, of which the engines failed, that crashed into the English Channel, whereupon he gave his life jacket to a passenger. 3. Elizabeth Kingdon.

Books The Laws of Ashanti; Containing the Ordinances of Ashanti, and the Orders, Proclamations, Rules, Regulations and Bye-laws made thereunder, in force on the 31st Day of December 1919 (1920) The Laws of the Gambia in force on the 1st Day of January 1955 (1950) The Laws of the Federation of Nigeria and Lagos : in force on the 1st Day of June 1958 (Revised edition, 1959)