Christian George Maasdorp (11 June 1848 – 21 May 1926) was a South African jurist and Judge of Appeal.

Early life and education

Maasdorp was the son of Gysbert Henry Maasdorp, a medical doctor, and his wife, Anna Maria Hartzenberg and the younger brother of Justice Andries Maasdorp. He received his basic education at

Graaff-Reinet Graaff-Reinet is a town in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It is the oldest town in the province. It is also the sixth-oldest town in South Africa, after Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Simon's Town, Paarl and Swellendam. The town was the c ...

and obtained both the Second-Class and First-Class Certificates in Literature and Science of the Council of Examiners, later to be known as the

University of the Cape of Good Hope The University of the Cape of Good Hope, renamed the University of South Africa in 1916, was created when the Molteno government passed Act 16 of 1873 in the Cape of Good Hope Parliament. Modelled on the University of London, it offered examinati ...

. He then continued his studies in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, where he obtained the BA degree in 1869. Thereafter he became a member of the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...

, where he was a fellow student of

John Gilbert Kotzé Sir John Gilbert Kotzé KC (5 November 1849 – 1 April 1940) was an eminent South African jurist. Early life Kotzé was born in Cape Town and was given the Christian names of Johannes Gysbert Blanckenberg, but he used the anglicized form, ...

Career

Maasdorp was admitted as a barrister in June 1871 and then returned to South Africa and was admitted to the Cape

Bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

on 3 August 1871. He then practised at the Supreme Court of Griqualand West at

Barkly West Barkly West is a town in the Northern Cape province of South Africa, situated on the north bank of the Vaal River west of Kimberley, Northern Cape, Kimberley. Establishment and naming Barkly West was the site of the first major diamond rush, in 18 ...

and thereafter, for three years, at the Supreme Court of the Eastern Districts in

Grahamstown Makhanda, also known as Grahamstown, is a town of about 140,000 people in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is situated about northeast of Port Elizabeth and southwest of East London, Eastern Cape, East London. Makhanda is the lar ...

. In October 1877 he was appointed as Attorney General of the

Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal. * South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...

and in February 1880 he resigned and returned to Cape Town to resume his practice in the Cape. Maasdorp then had several appointments as judge. In 1885 he was appointed Judge of the Supreme Court of the Eastern Districts and in 1896 he became Judge of the Cape Supreme Court. After South Africa became a

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

in 1910, Maasdorp was appointed Judge President of the

Cape Provincial Division The Western Cape Division of the High Court of South Africa (previously named the Cape Provincial Division and the Western Cape High Court, and commonly known as the Cape High Court) is a superior court of law with general jurisdiction over th ...

of the Supreme Court, as well as Additional Judge of

Appeal In law, an appeal is the process in which cases are reviewed by a higher authority, where parties request a formal change to an official decision. Appeals function both as a process for error correction as well as a process of clarifying and ...

. In 1915 he became Judge of Appeal.

Personal life

Maasdorp was married to Ella Elizabeth Hutton and had six children. Two of his sons were killed in action during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He retired in 1922 and died in Grahamstown on 21 May 1926.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maasdorp, Christian 1848 births 1926 deaths South African judges Cape Colony judges 19th-century South African lawyers 20th-century South African judges Members of the Inner Temple