Leo Solomon Baron
Judge and Chief Justice of Zimbabwe
Solomorn Baron was born in Poland in 1916 and received his education in Great Britain.
He was a World War II squadron leader in the Great Britain Royal Air Force. After the end of the war he qualified and became a lawyer and after 1952 practiced extensively in Southern and Northern Rhodesia and later Zambia and Zimbabwe as the two countries were named after they both attained independence from British rule.
He represented in both countries nationalists who included Joshua Nkomo in their fights for independence. After his return to Africa from the United Kingdom where he had traveled and worked for a short while he was appointed to the Supreme Court of Zambia. While in the Zambian Supreme Court he had been involved in the Harry Nkumbula case.
He later became the legal advisor to the nationalist negotiators in the Zimbabwe Lancaster House negotiations for independence. Following Zimbabwe’s independence Baron was appointed the countries Chief Justice.
He died in 1985.
