John Henry Vaughan

The Honourable John Henry Vaughan MC KC (Fiji)
17th Attorney General of Fiji
In office 1945–1949
Monarch	George VI
Governor	Sir Alexander Grantham Sir John Nicoll Sir Brian Freeston
Richard Rankine John Hall
Preceded by	Edward Enoch Jenkins
Succeeded by	Brian Andre Doyle
Attorney General Zanzibar
In office 1930s–1930s
Monarch	Khalifa bin Harub
Personal details
Born	9 February 1892
Died	16 April 1965(1965-04-16) (aged 73)
Nationality	British subject
Spouse(s)	Thelma Green m. 1925
Children	John, Richard and Matthew Vaughan
Alma mater	Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
Profession	Lawyer, Ornithologist

John Henry Vaughan MC KC (Fiji) (9 February 1892 – 16 April 1965) was a lawyer and ornithologist who served as Attorney General of Zanzibar and later as Attorney General of Fiji.

Early life

Vaughan was educated at Eastbourne College and then studied law at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.

Career

He is best known for his work in the British Empire's legal service as Attorney General of Zanzibar in the 1930s, and then as Attorney General of Fiji from 1945 to 1949.[1]

His work, The Dual Jurisdiction in Zanzibar, described the Protectorate's system of indirect British rule, whereby sovereignty technically remained with the Sultan of Zanzibar but with virtually all effective power in the hands of British-appointed officials.[2]

He was also a botanist who collected plants from what is now Tanzania and Fiji.[3] He put together an important collection of plants from Zanzibar and the eastern provinces of Tanganyika.[4]

Personal life

He married Thelma Green in 1925 and became a keen ornithologist. Their son was the eminent historian Richard Vaughan, who was also a noted ornithologist.[5][6]

Legacy

The Pemba white-eye derives its scientific name, Zosterops vaughani, from John Henry Vaughan, after whom it was named.[7]

Publications

• — (October 1929). "The Birds of Zanzibar and Pemba". Ibis. 71 (4): 577–608. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.1929.tb08776.x.
• — (1934). The Dual Jurisdiction in Zanzibar. South Africa: Government Printer. OCLC 504694709.
• — (1937–1939). Supplement [1935-1938] to The laws of Zanzibar. Zanzibar. OCLC 19433254.

Legal offices
Preceded by	Attorney-General of Zanzibar 1930s	Succeeded by
Preceded by Edward Enoch Jenkins	Attorney-General of Fiji 1945-1949	Succeeded by Brian Andre Doyle

References

1. "Previous Attorneys-General of Fiji". Office of the Attorney-General. © Copyright 2005-2008, Office of the Attorney General. Archived from the original on 4 July 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
2. John Henry Vaughan (1935). The Dual Jurisdiction in Zanziabar. OCLC 426594182.
3. "Index of Botanists". Harvard University. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
4. Kokwaro, J. O. (1994). "Flowering Plant Families of East Africa: An Introduction to Plant Taxonomy". Google Books. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
5. "Richard Vaughan - obituary". The Telegraph. 3 April 2014. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
6. "Letters of Richard Vaughan and John Henry Vaughan relating to the Hastings Rarities, with related newspaper cuttings". Bodleian Archives and Manuscripts. Additional description: Biographical / Historical. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
7. Nancy M Taylor, ed. (1924). "Zosterops vaughani". Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club. 44: 41. Retrieved 20 August 2014. Named in honour of Mr. John H. Vaughan, of the Colonial Civil Service, who has very kindly presented the type to the National Collection.