Franklin Lushington

Sir Franklin Lushington (4 January 1823 – 10 November 1901) was a British barrister and judge. He was Chief Magistrate of the Metropolitan Police Courts in London from 1899 until his death, in succession to Sir John Bridge.^[1]

A member of the Lushington family, Franklin Lushington was the son of Edmund Henry Lushington and the brother of Henry Lushington. He was a member of the Supreme Council of Justice of the United States of the Ionian Islands, serving until 1858. Appointed a metropolitan magistrate at the Thames Magistrates' Court in 1869, he was transferred to Bow Street Magistrates' Court in 1890.

Franklin Lushington was a close friend of the writer Edward Lear, whom he met in Malta in 1849. They subsequently embarked on a tour of southern Greece together. Lear developed strong feelings for Lushington, but Lushington did not fully reciprocate these feelings. Despite this, they maintained their friendship for nearly four decades until Lear's death. The imbalance of their emotions constantly troubled Lear, and his attempts at forming intimate relationships with men were not always fruitful. The intensity of Lear's affections may have contributed to the difficulties he faced in sustaining these relationships.^[2]