Cecil Hurst
Encyclopedia
Sir Cecil James Barrington Hurst KCB
, GCMG
, KC
(28 October 1870 - 27 March 1963) was a British
lawyer
. He worked from 1929 to 1945 as a judge to the Permanent Court of International Justice
in The Hague
, serving from 1934 to 1936 as president of the court.
. He studied jurisprudence
at Trinity College, Cambridge
, earning an LL.B. in 1892. In 1902 he began a career in the British Foreign Office as Assistant Legal Adviser. In 1918 he became Principal Legal Adviser. During this time Hurst was a delegate of Great Britain at the Hague Convention
in 1907, and one year later with London Naval Conference
, at which maritime law was crafted. After the end of World War I
he attended the Paris Peace Conference, 1919
. During the 1920s he represented Great Britain several times before the Permanent Court. In 1929 he became a member of the Permanent Court arbitration, and remained a member up to its dissolution in October 1945. During this time he worked from 1934 to 1936 as a president and afterwards until 1945 as a vice-president of the court.
Hurst was honored as CB in 1907, KC in 1913, KCB in 1920, KCMG in 1924, and GCMG in 1926. The University of Cambridge
awarded him an honorary doctorate in 1928.
An oil painting of Hurst, by British artist William Dring A.R.A, can be seen in the Library of Horsham Museum.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, GCMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
, KC
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
(28 October 1870 - 27 March 1963) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
. He worked from 1929 to 1945 as a judge to the Permanent Court of International Justice
Permanent Court of International Justice
The Permanent Court of International Justice, often called the World Court, was an international court attached to the League of Nations. Created in 1922 , the Court was initially met with a good reaction from states and academics alike, with many cases submitted to it for its first decade of...
in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, serving from 1934 to 1936 as president of the court.
Biography
Hurst was born in HorshamHorsham
Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...
. He studied jurisprudence
Jurisprudence
Jurisprudence is the theory and philosophy of law. Scholars of jurisprudence, or legal theorists , hope to obtain a deeper understanding of the nature of law, of legal reasoning, legal systems and of legal institutions...
at Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, earning an LL.B. in 1892. In 1902 he began a career in the British Foreign Office as Assistant Legal Adviser. In 1918 he became Principal Legal Adviser. During this time Hurst was a delegate of Great Britain at the Hague Convention
Hague Conventions (1899 and 1907)
The Hague Conventions were two international treaties negotiated at international peace conferences at The Hague in the Netherlands: The First Hague Conference in 1899 and the Second Hague Conference in 1907...
in 1907, and one year later with London Naval Conference
London Naval Conference
There were three major international naval conferences in London, the first in 1908-09, the second in 1930 and the third in 1935. The latter two, together with the Washington Naval Conference in 1921-22 and the Geneva Conferences , resulted in agreements between the major powers on navy vessel...
, at which maritime law was crafted. After the end of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
he attended the Paris Peace Conference, 1919
Paris Peace Conference, 1919
The Paris Peace Conference was the meeting of the Allied victors following the end of World War I to set the peace terms for the defeated Central Powers following the armistices of 1918. It took place in Paris in 1919 and involved diplomats from more than 32 countries and nationalities...
. During the 1920s he represented Great Britain several times before the Permanent Court. In 1929 he became a member of the Permanent Court arbitration, and remained a member up to its dissolution in October 1945. During this time he worked from 1934 to 1936 as a president and afterwards until 1945 as a vice-president of the court.
Hurst was honored as CB in 1907, KC in 1913, KCB in 1920, KCMG in 1924, and GCMG in 1926. The University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
awarded him an honorary doctorate in 1928.
An oil painting of Hurst, by British artist William Dring A.R.A, can be seen in the Library of Horsham Museum.
Selected works
- The British Year Book of International Law. London 1925 (as editor)
- A Plea for the Codification OF internationally Law on new Lines. In: Transactions OF the Grotius Society. 32/1946. Oxford University press, S. 135-153
- International Law: The Collected Papers of Sir Cecil Hurst. London 1950
Literature
- Biographical Notes concerning the Judges. Sir Cecil J. B. Hurst. In: Sixth Annual report of the permanently Court of internationally Justice. A.W. Sijthoff' s Publishing, Leiden 1930, S. 20/21
- Charles de Visscher, Kenneth Carpmael, C. John Colombos: Sir Cecil Hurst: Two Tributes. In: International and Comparative Law Quarterly. 13 (1)/1964. Cambridge University press, , S. 1-5