John Frederick Giffening (4 February 1787 - 25 September 1851) was a Ceylonese proctor, public notary and politician.
Early life and education John Frederick Geffening was born on 4 February 1787 in Colombo, Ceylon, the son of Reverend Bernhard Abraham Giffening (1762–1812), the head of the Dutch Reformed Church in Ceylon, and Maria Sophia née Francius (1754–1812). In 1796 the British formally took control of the Dutch colonies in Ceylon, with all the Dutch colonists who agreed to stay signing a treaty of capitulation, which guaranteed they would remain loyal and not defect if the Dutch attempted to re-conquer Ceylon. In 1807 Giffening was appointed as a proctor (a position similar to a solicitor) of the District Court and in 1811 a proctor of the Supreme Court.The Ceylon Directory: Calendar and Compendium of Useful Information" (1866). LII
Professional career He was subsequently appointed as one of the three proctors sitting on the bench of the Supreme Court of Ceylon (known as the Vice Admiralty Court). He also served on the Board of Examiners for many years, who James de Alwis described as being an old, narrow-minded austere but clever Dutch lawyer.Amerasinghe, A. R. B. (1986) The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka: The First 185 Years. Sri Lanka Sarvodaya Book Publishing Services In 1843 he was appointed as the second unofficial member of the Legislative Council of Ceylon, representing the Burgher community, replacing J. G. Hillebrand, following the later's appointment as a Judge of the Supreme Court.
Personal life Giffening married Henrietta Matilda Toussaint (1837-?) on 15 September 1858 at Wolvendaal Church.Journal of the Dutch Burgher Union of Ceylon (1909) Dutch Burgher Union of Ceylon: 33 They had seven children: John Frederick (1859–1929); Edwin Arnold (b.1861); Dorothy Henrietta (b.1863); Peter Bernard Toussaint (1864–1925); Frederica Anna (1866–1938); Julian Theodore Louis (1870–1944); and Georgiana Matilda (c.1877-1944).
He died on 25 September 1851 in Colombo, at the age of 64. Richard Morgan was subsequently appointed to his seat on the Legislative Council.Digby, William. Forty Years of Official and Unofficial Life in an Oriental Crown Colony: Being the Life of Sir Richard F. Morgan, Kt., Queen's Advocate and Acting Chief Justice of Ceylon. Sri Lanka: Higginbotham (1879)
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