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Gershon Collier

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Gershon Beresford Onesimus Collier
Sierra Leone's first permanent representative to the Headquarters of the United Nations
of  Sierra Leone
to  United Nations
In office
1961 – February 17, 1967
Succeeded byChristopher Okoro Cole
Sierra Leonean Ambassador to the United States [es]
of  Sierra Leone
to  United States
In office
November 20, 1963 – February 17, 1967
Preceded byRichard Edmund Kelfa-Caulker
Succeeded byChristopher Okoro Cole
Chief Justice of Sierra Leone
In office
February 17, 1967 – March 21, 1967
Preceded bySir Samuel Bankole Jones[1]
Succeeded byBanja Tejan-Sie
Personal details
Born(1927-02-16)February 16, 1927
Freetown, Sierra Leone
DiedMay 25, 1994(1994-05-25) (aged 67)
New York City, U.S.[citation needed]
SpouseFashn Dora (m. 1954)
Children2
Parents
  • Samuel Adolphus Collier (father)
  • Maria Jeanette Collier (mother)
EducationCMS Grammar School and Fourah Bay College

Gershon Beresford Onesimus Collier (February 16, 1927 – May 25, 1994) was a Sierra Leone Creole diplomat, Chief Justice of Sierra Leone, and educator.

Career

[edit]

Collier was called to the English Bar in London.[2]

When Albert Margai left the Sierra Leone People's Party in 1958, Collier went with him and became a member of the People's National Party's first executive committee.[2]

In 1961, he became Sierra Leone's first permanent representative to the United Nations.[3]

In 1967, Margai arranged his nomination as Chief Justice of Sierra Leone. However, Margai lost the election in 1967 and Collier lost his office as Chief Justice.[2]

In 1967, Collier immigrated to New York City, where he took a teaching appointment at New York University.[4]

Collier's granddaughter Napheesa Collier won a gold medal in basketball at the 2020 Summer Olympics and 2024 Summer Olympics.[5]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Samuel Bankole Jones Samuel Bankole Jones
  2. ^ a b c Pande, Ritvan (2024-07-02). "Meet Napheesa Collier's Grandfather Gershon - A Freedom Fighter For Sierra Leone Who Also Was a United Nations Ambassador". EssentiallySports. Retrieved 2024-08-18.
  3. ^ "First Permanent Representative of Sierra Leone Presents Credentials". UN Photo. 1 October 1961. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  4. ^ Magbaily C. Fyle, Historical Dictionary of Sierra Leone, p. 38
  5. ^ "Napheesa Collier". www.teamusa.com. 2023-05-16. Retrieved 2024-08-18.