Bernard Cornelis Johannes Loder (13 September 1849,

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

– 4 November 1935,

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

) was a Dutch jurist. He sat on the

Supreme Court of the Netherlands The Supreme Court of the Netherlands ( nl, Hoge Raad der Nederlanden or simply ''Hoge Raad''), officially the High Council of the Netherlands, is the final court of appeal in civil, criminal and tax cases in the Netherlands, including Curaçao ...

from 1908 to 1921. He then sat as a judge of the

Permanent Court of International Justice The Permanent Court of International Justice, often called the World Court, existed from 1922 to 1946. It was an international court attached to the League of Nations. Created in 1920 (although the idea of an international court was several cen ...

from 1921 to 1930, serving as the first president of that court from 1921 to 1924.

Early life and education

Born in 1849, Bernard Loder studied law in

at the

Athenaeum Illustre of Amsterdam Athenaeum Illustre, or Amsterdamse Atheneum, was a city-sponsored 'illustrious school' founded after the beeldenstorm in the old ''Agnieten'' chapel on the Oudezijds Voorburgwal 231 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Famous scientists such as Caspar Barla ...

, the predecessor to the

University of Amsterdam The University of Amsterdam (abbreviated as UvA, nl, Universiteit van Amsterdam) is a public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The UvA is one of two large, publicly funded research universities in the city, the other being ...

, and afterward studied at

University of Leiden Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; nl, Universiteit Leiden) is a public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. The university was founded as a Protestant university in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, as a reward to the city of Le ...

. He was interested in the study of

international law International law (also known as public international law and the law of nations) is the set of rules, norms, and standards generally recognized as binding between states. It establishes normative guidelines and a common conceptual framework for ...

and in particular

maritime law Admiralty law or maritime law is a body of law that governs nautical issues and private maritime disputes. Admiralty law consists of both domestic law on maritime activities, and private international law governing the relationships between priva ...

Domestic and international career

Loder sat on the Supreme Court of the Netherlands from 1908 to 1921. In 1920, he served on the committee that drew up the

Statute of the Permanent Court of International Justice The Statute of the Permanent Court of International Justice was an international treaty concluded in Geneva on 13 December 1920 by representatives of 46 states, most of which came from the Allied Powers of the First World War. It was registered in ...

. He was a judge of that

court A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance ...

from 1921 to 1930, serving as its first president until 1924. He represented the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

at international conferences on maritime law in 1905, 1909, 1910, and 1923. He served as one of the Dutch delegates at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919.

Memberships and honors

In 1897, Loder was one of the founders of the ''International Maritime Committee'', the functions of which were later taken on by the

International Maritime Organization The International Maritime Organization (IMO, French: ''Organisation maritime internationale'') is a specialised agency of the United Nations responsible for regulating shipping. The IMO was established following agreement at a UN conference ...

. Loder became a member of the

Institut de Droit International The Institute of International Law ( French: Institut de Droit International) is an organization devoted to the study and development of international law, whose membership comprises the world's leading public international lawyers. The organizat ...

in 1921 and served as its president and four years later President at its 33rd meeting in

Personal life

Bernard Loder was married in 1877 and had two daughters. He died in 1935 in The Hague.

References

* ''Biographie des Juges. M. B. C. J. Loder, ancien Président.'' In: ''Rapport Annuel de la Cour Permanente de Justice Internationale (1^er janvier 1922 – 15 juin 1925).'' Société d'éditions A.W. Sijthoff, Leiden 1925, S. 12/13 * Howard N. Meyer: ''The World Court in Action: Judging Among the Nations.'' Rowman & Littlefield, New York 2001, , S. 205/206 * Peter Macalister-Smith: ''Bio-Bibliographical Key to the Membership of the Institut de Droit International, 1873–2001.'' In: ''Journal of the History of International Law.'' 5(1)/2003. Brill Academic Publishers, S. 77–159, {{DEFAULTSORT:Loder, Bernard 1849 births 1935 deaths 20th-century Dutch diplomats Dutch jurists Permanent Court of International Justice judges Members of the Institut de Droit International Supreme Court of the Netherlands justices University of Amsterdam alumni Leiden University alumni Lawyers from Amsterdam Dutch judges of international courts and tribunals Diplomats from Amsterdam