Coleman Phillipson

Phillipson was born in Leeds, Yorkshire, England, the eldest son of Mr and Mrs S. Phillipson, both practising Jews. He was educated at the Central High School, Leeds, and Yorkshire College, University of Leeds, where he won prizes for French, English literature, theory of education, and debating. He secured a teaching position in a boarding school before embarking on Law studies at the Victoria University of Manchester followed by the University College of London,^[1] where he was Quain prizeman in Comparative Law 1906–1908.^[2] Around 1906 he had the degree of LL.D conferred on him (their first) by Victoria University, Manchester^[3] which in 1910 awarded him a D.Litt. consequent on his admission to the Inner Temple and publication of several books on international law.^[4]

He practised for thirteen years in London, and held briefs from the Crown concerning points of Constitutional and International Law. During the Great War he confidential work for the War Cabinet, the Foreign Office, and the Admiralty. He was responsible for drawing up of various reports for the commission, on responsibility for the war and offences committed by the enemy. His compilation and analysis of such offences became a Bluebook.^[1]

He assisted the British Crown Law department in formulating the Peace Treaty of 1919.^[5]

Sir Frederick Smith, (later Lord Chancellor) in a standard work, gave his opinion that "Professor Phillipson is one of the greatest living authorities on international law".^[1]

In December 1919 the Registrar of the University of Adelaide (C. R. Hodge) announced that Phillipson had been appointed Professor of Law, a post made vacant by the resignation, due to ill health, of Dr Jethro Brown. He was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Law in 1921.

He gave many public lectures while in Adelaide, including:

• "The Principles and Aims of the League of Nations" on 30 August 1920.^[6]
• "The Teachings of Lao-Tse and His Message for the Present Time" on 6 October 1920
• "International Conferences" on 10 March 1921
• "Paris Peace Conference — Personal Reminiscences" on 12 May 1921
• "The League of Nations"^[a] 28 June 1921
• "How Treaties of Peace are Made" 24 August 1921
• "Dante" on 14 September 1921 (600th anniversary of his death)
• "L'esprit Français et la poésie Française moderne." 14 July 1922
• "Plays in relation to life" 1 August 1922^[b]
• "Trial by Jury" 22 March 1923
• "The Profession of Politics" 2 May 1923
• "Crime and Punishment",^[c] a series delivered in September 1923
• "Wit and Humour" 21 May 1924
• "Art and Life"^[d] 24 August 1924
• "The conception of tragedy in dramatic literature." 12 May 1925

Phillipson resigned on 15 May 1925 after a series of attacks on his practice of giving private lessons to students who were falling behind in their grades, and rumors of blackmail. The climax of the affair was a note pinned to his door:

Coleman Phillipson, Blackmailer. Get out, you dirty swine.

He also complained of lack of documentary resources for his research and the council's refusal to allow him to practise Law privately. The university gave him paid leave to the end of the year.^[8]