Alexander Johnston (1775–1849)

Sir Alexander Johnston
3rd Chief Justice of Ceylon
In office 6 November 1811 – 1819
Preceded by	William Coke As Acting
Succeeded by	Ambrose Hardinge Giffard
Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Ceylon
In office 1807–1811
Acting Chief Justice of Ceylon
In office 3 April 1806 – 5 April 1807
Preceded by	Codrington Edmund Carrington
Succeeded by	Edmund Henry Lushington As Acting
2nd Advocate Fiscal of Ceylon
In office 7 August 1802 – 1806
Preceded by	James Dunkin
Succeeded by	James Dunkin
Personal details
Born	25 April 1775 Carnsalloch, Dumfriesshire, Scotland
Died	6 March 1849 (aged 73) London, United Kingdom
Nationality	British
Occupation	British Privy Councilor, Founder and Vice President of the Royal Asiatic Society, lawyer, colonial official
Known for	being the Chief Justice of Ceylon and founder of Royal Asiatic Society

Sir Alexander Johnston, PC, FRS (25 April 1775 – 6 March 1849), was a British colonial official who served as third Chief Justice of Ceylon and second Advocate Fiscal of Ceylon. He introduced a range of administrative reforms in Sri Lanka, introducing numerous liberal ideas and supporting the rights of natives. He was also an orientalist and along with Henry Thomas Colebrooke and others he was a founding member of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland.^[1][2]

Early life

Johnston was born in Carnsalloch, Dumfriesshire in Scotland to Samuel Johnston and Hester Napier, daughter of Francis Napier, 6th Lord Napier. Johnston moved with his family when his father obtained a posting in Madurai under Lord Macartney in the Madras Presidency in 1781. Alexander received his early education from Christian Friedrich Schwarz, the missionary as well as under Sir Thomas Munro. He could speak Tamil, Telugu, and Hindustani languages from an early age.^[3]

Colonial career

Portrait of Johnston

At the age of eleven, Alexander was offered a commission in the Dragoons but he chose instead to join the family to return to England in 1792. At the advice of Lord Macartney he studied law, initially at Göttingen and then at Lincoln's Inn. In 1799 he accepted a post as Advocate General in Celyon in 1799 shortly after his marriage to the daughter of Captain Lord William Campbell of the Royal Navy. He became a chief justice in 1805 and in 1809 he was asked to provide suggestions for the administration of Ceylon, many of which were included in the charter for the East India Company in 1813. He was knighted in 1811 and by 1817 he took up an honorary position as an admiralty judge.^[3]

The reforms that Sir Alexander Johnston made included universal public education, freedom of religious practice, abolishment of slavery,^[4] employment of natives in government, and the codification of laws including the traditional views of Hindus, Muhamadans, and Buddhists.^[3]

Johnston returned to England in 1819.^[3]

Retirement

Johnston stood as a liberal representing the Dumfries burghs in 1840 but failed. After retirement Johnston founded the Royal Asiatic Society. He died on 6 March 1849 at London and was buried at Carnsalloch, Dumfriesshire.^[3]

Personal

His son Alexander Robert Johnston was a colonial official in Mauritius and Hong Kong before going to England (and died in the United States in 1888).^[3]

References

1. "Overview". Judicial Service Commission Secretariat. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
2. Amerasinghe, A. Ranjit B (1986), The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka : the first 185 years, Sarvodaya Book Pub. Services, ISBN 978-955-599-000-4
3. Keene, H. G. (2004). "Johnston, Sir Alexander (1775–1849)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/14927.
4. Sinnatamby, J.R. (1974). "Supplementary Comments on Slavery in Sri Lanka". Journal of the Sri Lanka Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. 18: 23–26.