Person

Twentyman Jones, Percy Sydney

1876-1918

Percy Sydney Twentyman Jones was born on 13.8.1876 at Beaufort West, Cape. He was educated at the Diocesan College and studied privately for his LLB, which he received in 1898. He began his legal practice in Cape Town in 1902, and took silk in 1924. In 1926 he was appointed judge on the Cape Bench and had a notable career as a criminal judge. In January 1946 he was appointed Judge President of the Cape Provincial Division of the Supreme Court, but retired at the end of that year. He wrote several legal works, and also contributed many articles, both on sport and the law, to the local Press. After his retirement, he was appointed Chairman of the Women's Legal Disabilities Commission. He was an excellent all-round sportsman and represented South Africa in both cricket and rugby. In later years he devoted much of his spare time to the administrative side of sport, being president of the Western Province Rugby Football Union for a number of years. He married twice, firstly Martha Bartholda Vos in 1901, and secondly Mrs Gwynneth Wilkinson. He died in Cape Town on 8.3.1954. Sydney Twentyman Jones, Percy's uncle, was born in London on 20.1.1849, while his parents were on a visit overseas. He was educated at the Diocesan and South African Colleges, and then at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, where he obtained his LLB in 1872. In 1874 he returned to the Cape and was admitted to the Bar of the Cape Supreme Court. He obtained his LLM Cantab in 1876 and his LLD in 1890. In 1882 he was appointed Senior Puisne Judge in Griqua-land West. Five years later he was appointed to the Eastern Districts Local Division at Grahamstown, where he remained until he was recalled to Cape Town to act as Senior Puisne Judge in 1901. In 1904 he resigned and went to Eng-land where he was legal adviser to the Standard Bank, London. He later re-turned to South Africa and died in Cape Town on 2.2.1913. He married Florence Hayter Arderne in 1878 and had 3 daughters and 5 sons. Ewald August Esselen was born at Worcester, Cape on 27.9.1858. He was educated at the Stellenbosch Gymnasium and the South African College. In 1879 he went to Edinburgh to study medicine, but later changed his mind and decided to study law. He entered the Inner Temple, was called in January 1885 and admitted at the Cape a month later. He soon established a reputation as an advocate. In 1886 he became member for Richmond in the Legislative Assembly on behalf of the Afrikaner Bond, and in 1887 accepted appointment as a judge in the Transvaal Republic. Three years later he resigned to practice at the bar, and then became member for Potchefstroom in the Volksraad. During 1894-95 Esselen was the Attorney-General of the Transvaal Republic, after which he returned to the bar. After fighting in the Second Anglo-Boer war, he reopened his practice in Pretoria in 1902 and was one of the founders of Het Volk party in 1904. He became a member of the Legislative Council and played a leading part in Transvaal politics. He died in Cape Town in 1918.

Judge
Politician