Alfred North (jurist)
New Zealand jurist (1900–1981)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sir Alfred Kingsley North KBE PC QC (17 December 1900 – 22 June 1981), also known as Alf North, was a New Zealand lawyer and judge. He was President of the Court of Appeal of New Zealand from 1963 until his retirement in 1972.
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17 December 1900
Sir Alfred North | |
|---|---|
North as a young man | |
| President of the Court of Appeal | |
| In office 1963–1972 | |
| Preceded by | Kenneth Gresson |
| Succeeded by | Alexander Turner |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Alfred Kingsley North 17 December 1900 Christchurch, New Zealand |
| Died | 22 June 1981 (aged 80) Auckland, New Zealand |
| Parent |
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Biography
North was born in Christchurch in 1900, the son of Baptist minister John North.[1][2] As a teenager, North contracted polio and had a limp for the rest of his life.[3] He received his education at West Christchurch District High School, Christchurch Boys' High School, and then attended Canterbury University College, graduating LLM in 1927.[1][4]
He first practiced in Ashburton from 1921. After obtaining his Master of Laws, he was in partnership in Hāwera. From 1935, he was a barrister and a partner in the legal firm Earl, Kent, Stanton, Massey, North and Palmer in Auckland, replacing Erima Northcroft who had been appointed judge.[3][5] In 1951, North was appointed judge of the Supreme Court.[1] When the Court of Appeal was reconstituted in Wellington in 1957, North was one of its founding members and relocated to the capital city, where he lived in Wadestown.[3][6] North was the president of the Court of Appeal from 1963 to 1972.[3]
Between 1976 and 1978, North conducted a commission of inquiry into an alleged breach of confidentiality of the police file on Colin Moyle.[7][8]
For the respective Auckland branches, North was president for Rotary and chairman of the New Zealand Crippled Children's Society.[9]
Family
On 31 December 1924, North married Thelma Areta Dawson (1902–1991) at Oxford Terrace Baptist Church in Christchurch, with his father officiating the ceremony.[10] North died on 22 June 1981 in Auckland.[3][11] His wife survived him by ten years. Both were cremated at Purewa Cemetery and Crematorium.[12][13]
Honours
Alongside Ossie Mazengarb, North was appointed King's Counsel on 18 April 1947.[14][5][15] In 1953, he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal.[16] He was made a Knight Bachelor in the 1959 Queen's Birthday Honours.[17] In the 1964 New Year Honours, he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.[18] He was made a Privy Counsellor in 1966.[19]