George Suckling

Who is George Suckling?

George Suckling was a lawyer who was appointed to be the first Chief Justice of the British Virgin Islands in 1776. Suckling's appointment was not popular in the islands, which were at the time a notorious haunt for the lawless and for those seeking to evade their creditors elsewhere. He also served as a member of the 1st General Assembly of Nova Scotia from 1758 to 1759 and was the first Attorney General in Quebec, serving under James Murray from 1764 to 1766, when he was removed from office.

He was in Halifax in 1752, where he practised law and also was a merchant in partnership with William Nesbitt. In 1759, Suckling married Frances Duport, his second wife. In Quebec, he also served as advocate general for the Court of Vice-Admiralty. He left the province in 1771.

Suckling's arrival in the Virgin Islands was successfully delayed by the Lieutenant Governor John Nugent, and Suckling did not, in the event, actually arrive in the Territory until January 1778.