John Leigh (ambassador)
Encyclopedia
John Ernst Leigh was an Ambassador
for Sierra Leone
to the United States
and was the son of a Sierra Leonean (Creole
) and a Native
Sierra Leonean mother. John Leigh's father, Evelyn Leslie Foy Leigh was from the prominent Cline Town, Sierra Leone
Creole
family (who are descendants of the original Black Poor settlers). John Leigh is not Creole and has acknowledge his mixed heritage; he has considered himself a Sierra Leonean only.
, and alongside his other brother, Frederick Leigh (who was also of Native heritage) attended Albert Academy School in Freetown.
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
for Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and was the son of a Sierra Leonean (Creole
Sierra Leone Creole people
The Sierra Leone Creoles, or Krios, are an ethnic group in Sierra Leone, descendants of West Indian slaves from the Caribbean, primarily from Jamaica; freed African American slaves from the Thirteen Colonies resettled from Nova Scotia; and Liberated Africans from various parts of Africa...
) and a Native
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
Sierra Leonean mother. John Leigh's father, Evelyn Leslie Foy Leigh was from the prominent Cline Town, Sierra Leone
Cline Town, Sierra Leone
Cline Town, Sierra Leone, which used to be known as Granville Town, was established in 1787 by the London-based Committee for the Relief of the Black Poor. They arranged for the transport of London's so-called Black Poor to Sierra Leone where they were amongst its original settlers...
Creole
Sierra Leone Creole people
The Sierra Leone Creoles, or Krios, are an ethnic group in Sierra Leone, descendants of West Indian slaves from the Caribbean, primarily from Jamaica; freed African American slaves from the Thirteen Colonies resettled from Nova Scotia; and Liberated Africans from various parts of Africa...
family (who are descendants of the original Black Poor settlers). John Leigh is not Creole and has acknowledge his mixed heritage; he has considered himself a Sierra Leonean only.
Early life
John Leigh grew up in Cline Town, Sierra LeoneCline Town, Sierra Leone
Cline Town, Sierra Leone, which used to be known as Granville Town, was established in 1787 by the London-based Committee for the Relief of the Black Poor. They arranged for the transport of London's so-called Black Poor to Sierra Leone where they were amongst its original settlers...
, and alongside his other brother, Frederick Leigh (who was also of Native heritage) attended Albert Academy School in Freetown.