Frans Dove
Francis Thomas Dove | |
|---|---|
Portrait of Dove | |
| Born | Francis Thomas Dove 24 June 1869 Freetown, Sierra Leone |
| Died | 22 July 1949 (aged 80) London, England |
| Other names | Frans Dove |
| Alma mater | University College London; Lincoln's Inn |
| Occupations | Barrister and philanthropist |
| Children | Evelyn Dove, Frank Dove, Mabel Dove and others |
| Parent(s) | William Thomas Dove (father) Mary Ann Gerber (mother) |
| Relatives | Dove Family |
Francis Thomas Dove (1869 – 22 August 1949) was a West African barrister, philanthropist and sportsman. Born into a prominent Sierra Leonean family, he was, at the time, the youngest man called to the Bar at Lincoln's Inn, one of the four Inns of Court, or professional associations for barristers and judges, in London, England. He later became the first President of the Gold Coast Bar Association, now the Ghana Bar Association.
Dove sponsored the introduction of tennis and horse-racing to the Gold Coast and established the first formal inter-colonial sporting competitions, marking a major milestone in the institutionalization of Western sport in West Africa. He was also a lifelong patron of education and supported the advancement of numerous relatives and protégés in law, medicine, and the arts.