Frank Anthony
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Frank Anthony (Born 1908-Died 1993) was a prominent leader of the Anglo-Indian community in India, and was till his death their nominated representative in India's Parliament.
Frank Anthony managed to secure from prime minister Nehru the right for the Anglo-Indian community, as the only minority community in India, to have its own representatives nominated to the Lok Sabha (Lower House) in India's Parliament. Frank Anthony opposed the partition of India on the grounds that it would jeopardise the interests of the minority communities. When the future of India was being decided by the British, Muslim and Indian Hindu and Muslim leaders, he presented the Anglo-Indians case to Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel and Jawaharlal Nehru, and they agreed to make special provisions for the Anglo-Indians in the Indian Constitution.
Frank Anthony was born in Jabalpur, in 1908. In 1942, he was elected the President-in-chief of the Community of the All India Anglo-Indian Association.
In October 1946, Mr. Anthony was selected as one of India's principal delegates to represent the country in the first delegation from independent India to the United Nations. In 1948 and again in 1957, he was one of India's representatives to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference. Anthony's greatest contribution was in the field of Anglo-Indian Education. In 1947, he was elected Chairman of the Inter-State Board of Anglo-Indian Education. He was also the Founder-Chairman of the All India Anglo-Indian Educational Trust which, today, owns and controls five schools named after him, The Frank Anthony Public and Junior Schools in Calcutta, Delhi and Bangalore. [1]
Anthony had retired from practising as a lawyer, when Prime Minister Nehru in 1952, requested him to go to Peshawar and defend Mehr Chand Khanna, the ex-finance minister of North-West Frontier Province. In those days no Hindu lawyer would go to Peshawar. Following Frank Anthony's discussions with the chief minister, Khanna was released. In 1978, Anthony assisted the Nehru family when Prime Minister Mrs. Gandhi was arrested and appeared before the Shah
