About Lionel Brett
Lived 1911 – 1990 (aged 79). Lionel Brett was a judge.
Sir Lionel Brett (19 August 1911 – 10 September 1990) was an expatriate Solicitor General of Nigeria who later became a Justice of the Supreme Court in 1958.
Brett was born in Belfast, the son of Henry Robert Brett and Constance White. He was educated at Marlborough College before going to Magdalen College, Oxford where he studied Classics. He was called to the bar in 1937. He joined the army during World War II and finished his service as a Major. In 1946, he was appointed a Crown Counsel in Nigeria and later became the country's Solicitor General in 1953, he was the last expatriate to be in the position and was succeeded by Godwin Amachree. On 22 May 1958, he was appointed Justice of the Supreme Court. After, his retirement in 1968, he was commissioned to revise the laws of the old Bendel State which he published in seven volumes in 1976.
While in Nigeria, he was a member of both Ikoyi and the Metropolitan Club, he was a district Grand Master of the Freemason in the country.
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Important facts
People in Lionel Brett's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Lionel Brett's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Lionel Brett?
Nigerian Supreme Court Justice and Solicitor General
When was Lionel Brett born?
Lionel Brett was born on 19 August 1911 in Belfast.
When did Lionel Brett die?
Lionel Brett died on 10 September 1990.
What was Lionel Brett's occupation?
Lionel Brett was a judge.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Lionel Brett. https://biography.guide/lionel-brett/
MLA: "Lionel Brett." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/lionel-brett/.
Chicago: "Lionel Brett." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/lionel-brett/.
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