Daniel Patrick O'Connell (7 July 1924 – 8 June 1979), known as D. P. O'Connell, was a New Zealand

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

and academic, specializing in

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 ...

. From 1972 to his death in 1979, he was Chichele Professor of Public International Law at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

Early life

He was born in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, on 7 July 1924. He was educated at

Sacred Heart College, Auckland , motto_translation = Take Courage And Act Manfully , type = State-integrated Day & boarding Secondary school , religion = Roman Catholic Marist , gender = Boys-only , patr ...

and at Auckland University College. He was admitted to the New Zealand Bar in 1947 and then attended

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

in 1949, from where he obtained a doctorate in 1951.

Career

In 1953 O'Connell was appointed reader in law at the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

, and in 1962 became the holder of a personal chair in international law and served as dean until 1964. His career then took him to Oxford in 1972, where he was elected Chichele Professor of Public International Law. He continued to keep an option to resume his chair in Adelaide, returning there for one term each year for three years. In 1972 he was awarded an additional doctorate of laws by the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. His 1968 biography of Cardinal Richelieu was both well written and authoritative. He was best known for his treatises on international law published in 1965 and on International Law of the Sea published after his death in 1982. Among his former pupils is James Crawford, who was elected as

Judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

of the

International Court of Justice The International Court of Justice (ICJ; french: Cour internationale de justice, links=no; ), sometimes known as the World Court, is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN). It settles disputes between states in accordanc ...

in 2014. O'Connell died on 8 June 1979 in Oxford; he was buried in Auckland. He had been nominated for a British life peerage but this procedure was not completed before his death.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:OConnell, D P 1924 births 1979 deaths 20th-century New Zealand lawyers Lawyers from Auckland People educated at Sacred Heart College, Auckland University of Auckland alumni Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Academic staff of the University of Adelaide Fellows of All Souls College, Oxford Chichele Professors of Public International Law British King's Counsel Fellows of the Royal Historical Society Royal Australian Navy officers Royal Naval Reserve personnel Australian Roman Catholics