Alfred Charles Hanlon (1 August 1866 – 6 February 1944) was a New Zealand lawyer, who, according to the ''

Dictionary of New Zealand Biography The ''Dictionary of New Zealand Biography'' (DNZB) is an encyclopedia or biographical dictionary containing biographies of over 3,000 deceased New Zealanders. It was first published as a series of print volumes from 1990 to 2000, went online i ...

'', "was one of the most outstanding criminal advocates in New Zealand's history". He was born in

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

, New Zealand, where he lived and died, though he represented clients nationwide. Hanlon represented at least 16 people charged with murder, but he is best known for his first defence case, in which he represented the only woman to be hanged in New Zealand,

Minnie Dean As a first name, Minnie is a feminine given name. It can be a diminutive (hypocorism) of Minerva, Winifred, Wilhelmina, Hermione, Mary, Miriam, Maria, Marie, Naomi, Miranda, Clementine or Amelia. It may refer to: People with the given name * ...

. Dean was the only murder defendant of Hanlon's to be hanged. Hanlon's career was the subject of a 1985 New Zealand television drama series, called ''Hanlon''. The series was a critical and a commercial success, and was nominated for Best Overseas Program at the 1986

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

s. Its first episode, ''In Defence of Minnie Dean'', "contributed to a re-evaluation of Dean's conviction", and won the Best Director, Best Drama Programme, Drama Script, and Performance, Female, in a Dramatic Role categories at the 1986 Listener Television Awards (also called the GOFTA Awards).

David Gwillim David Gwillim (born 15 December 1948) is an English actor, known for playing Prince Hal in the ''BBC Television Shakespeare'' adaptations of ''Henry IV, Part I'' and '' Henry IV, Part II'' and the title role in ''Henry V'' which were broadcast i ...

, who played Hanlon, won Best Performance, Male, in a Dramatic Role at the awards for his performance in the series, and Terry Gray's music won Best Original Music.

References

External links

''In Defence of Minnie Dean''
the first episode of the ''Hanlon'' television series, streamed free at

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''Hanlon''
1985 New Zealand television drama series {{DEFAULTSORT:Hanlon, Alfred Charles 1866 births 1944 deaths Lawyers from Dunedin Burials at Andersons Bay Cemetery New Zealand King's Counsel