The Hutton-Mills Family: All you need to know about the wealthy Ghanaian family of lawyers

The history of Ghana has a strong collection of families who are identified as royalties of various sectors of the country. The names of the members of these families readily come to mind when those sectors are mentioned.

The Ayew family, Akufo-Addo family, Ahwoi Family, Kufuor Family, Awuah Darko family, and Irani Family amongst others are known for building dynasties in sports, politics, business, and others.

One family who however have not been given their flowers as wealthy and law-dominated families are the Mills Family of Jamestown, Accra.

This lack of recognition could partly be due to the duration of the dominance of the Mills family as they apparently ‘enjoyed’ their time in the 1920s.

From Thomas Hutton-Mills Snr to the junior Thomas Hutton-Mills, the family was famed for being a successful family of lawyers.

Born in Jamestown, Accra in 1865, Thomas Hutton-Mills Snr. was a successful Ghanaian lawyer, merchant, and diplomat who was also one of the foremost proto-nationalist.

His mother was the daughter of the British Governor of the Gold Coast then, James Bannerman and his father was John Hutton-Mills, a Jamestown merchant.

He was educated at the Wesleyan School in Accra and Cape Coast, the Wesleyan High School in Freetown, Sierra Leone, Harrow School, and at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom.

Information sourced from the peoplepill.com shows that Thomas Hutton-Mills married Florence Nanka-Bruce who was the sister of another merchant, Frederick Nanka-Bruce. Upon the death of Florence Nanka-Bruce, Hutton-Mills Snr. Married her junior sister, Emma Nanka-Bruce.

Hutton-Mills’ professional career began in the office of his uncle Edmund Bannerman where he served as chief clerk. He, however, traveled to England in 1891 to study law and returned to Accra in 1894 to practice as a lawyer called to the Bar.

Like his father, Hutton-Mills Snr. is said to have become a hugely successful merchant with a chain of companies in Accra. His law career also blossomed.

Thomas Hutton-Mills Snr. managed to inculcate his entrepreneurship skills and legal brains into his children, who all took after their father.

Other members of the wealthy Mills Family are Edmund Hutton-Mills, Alexander Hutton-Mill, Violet Hutton-Mills, James Hutton-Mills, John Edward Hutton-Mills.

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