GRIMES, LOUIS ARTHUR
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Grimes Louis Arthur (1883-1948), diplomat and jurist, as Associate Delegate and later Principal Delegate of Liberia to the League of Nations from 1931 to 1933 was the first black man to have startled that world body with his eloquence and logical legal arguments.
PHOTO CAPTION: Grimes, Louis Arthur. SOURCE: EA Library.
During the time fifty-six nations attempted to liquidate Liberia’s identity as an independent Republic in Africa, Grimes, as Attorney General, and later as Secretary of State of Liberia, was able to convince the League that the indictments and charges of slavery against Liberia had no legal and factual foundation.
Grimes had devoted much time to preparation for this moment. Having been awarded the degrees of Bachelor of Arts (1903), Master of Arts (1910), and Doctor of Laws (1926) by Liberia College, now the University of Liberia, he returned to the College and served for a time as a Professor of English and Jurisprudence on its Faculty.
Grimes’ most noted achievements however were in the field of legal science. He created for Liberia, almost single-handed, a new age in legal jurisprudence. He was admitted to the Bar of Montserrado County in 1904. His thorough ability as a lawyer won him the successive positions of County Attorney for Montserrado County and City Solicitor for the City of Monrovia (1907-1922), Attorney General of Liberia (1922-1932), Secretary of State of Liberia (1932-1933) and Chief Justice of Liberia (1933-1948). As Attorney General, he undertook to annotate the Revised Stature of Liberia.
The Supreme Court under his capable leadership set new standards for the country’s judicial system. During the period 1930-1933 when Grimes became world-renowned by his statesmanlike diplomacy before the League, many charges had been hurled against the Liberian Judicial system. As Chief Justice, it became his principal task to institute the reforms which the world then assembled at Geneva had declared were necessary in the Liberian judicial system.
He was the only Chief Justice since the retirement of the last Associate Justice T. McGant-Stwart, who undertook to edit, index, and cause to be published the Opinions of the Supreme Court. He instituted many reforms and gave new dignity to the Constitutional Branch of the Republic.
Mr. Charlton Ogburn in writing the foreword to Grime’s first volume entitled, “Opinions of the Attorney General”, said: “His record as Attorney General of Liberia, the achievements of which are represented in part by the Reports (Liberian Law Reports) and Opinions in this Volume, and his record as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Liberia assure to the Honourable L. A. Grimes a place in the development of the jurisprudence of his country unexcelled (sic) by few lawyers of any country of modern times.”
J. RUDOLPH GRIMES.
