Sir Alfred Kingsley North (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 The Court of Appeal of New Zealand is the principal intermediate appellate court of New Zealand. It is also the final appellate court for a number of matters. In practice, most appeals are resolved at this intermediate appellate level, rather t ...

from 1963 until his retirement in 1972.

Biography

North was born in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon Rive ...

in 1900, the son of Baptist minister John North. As a teenager, North contracted

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...

and had a limp for the rest of his life. He received his education at West Christchurch District High School,

Christchurch Boys' High School , motto_translation = I Seek Higher Things , type = State school, Day and Boarding school , gender = Boys , song = The School We Magnify , colours = Blue and Black , established = , address = 71 Straven Ro ...

, and then attended

Canterbury University College The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was f ...

, graduating

LLM A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...

in 1927. He first practiced in Ashburton from 1921. After obtaining his Master of Laws, he was in partnership in

Hāwera Hāwera is the second-largest centre in the Taranaki region of New Zealand's North Island, with a population of . It is near the coast of the South Taranaki Bight. The origins of the town lie in a government military base that was established ...

. From 1935, he was a barrister and a partner in the legal firm Earl, Kent, Stanton,

Massey Massey may refer to: Places Canada * Massey, Ontario * Massey Island, Nunavut New Zealand * Massey, New Zealand, an Auckland suburb United States * Massey, Alabama * Massey, Iowa * Massey, Maryland People * Massey (surname) Educati ...

, North and Palmer in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

, replacing Erima Northcroft who had been appointed judge. In 1951, North was appointed judge of the Supreme Court. When the Court of Appeal was reconstituted in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by metr ...

in 1957, North was one of its founding members and relocated to the capital city, where he lived in Wadestown. North was the president of the Court of Appeal from 1963 to 1972. Between 1976 and 1978, North conducted a commission of inquiry into an alleged breach of confidentiality of the police file on

Colin Moyle Colin James Moyle (born 18 July 1929) is a former politician of the New Zealand Labour Party who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1963 to 1976 and again from 1981 to 1990. He was a Government minister in the Third Labour and Fourth ...

. For the respective Auckland branches, North was president for Rotary and chairman of the New Zealand Crippled Children's Society.

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. North died on 22 June 1981 in Auckland. His wife survived him by ten years. Both were cremated at Purewa Cemetery and Crematorium.

Honours

Alongside

Ossie Mazengarb Oswald Chettle Mazengarb (31 May 1890 – 27 November 1963), known as Ossie Mazengarb, was a New Zealand barrister. Biography Mazengarb was born in Prahran, a suburb of Melbourne, in 1890. His family moved to Dunedin soon after his birth and ...

, North was appointed King's Counsel on 18 April 1947. He was made a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are th ...

in the

1959 Queen's Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 1959 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The appointments were made to celebrate ...

. In the 1964 New Year Honours, he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire. He was made a

Privy Counsellor The Privy Council (PC), officially His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its membership mainly comprises senior politicians who are current or former members of ei ...

in 1966.

References

External links

Photo of Sir Alfred North and Lady North
June 1959 {{DEFAULTSORT:North, Alfred 1900 births 1981 deaths People from Christchurch People educated at Christchurch West High School People educated at Christchurch Boys' High School University of Canterbury alumni New Zealand King's Counsel Court of Appeal of New Zealand judges New Zealand Knights Bachelor New Zealand Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Members of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council 20th-century New Zealand lawyers New Zealand members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom

Biography

Family

Honours

See also

References

External links