Ernest Hamilton Sharp, OBE, KC (1861 – 9 February 1922) was a

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 ...

in Hong Kong.

Education

He was educated at Lincoln College of the

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

and was called to the Bar 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 ...

in 1891. He practised in the Midland Circuit until he went to Hong Kong in 1894.

Hong Kong

He was appointed as the

King's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel ( post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister or ...

for the

colony of Hong Kong Hong Kong was a colony and later a dependent territory of the British Empire from 1841 to 1997, apart from a period of occupation under the Japanese Empire from 1941 to 1945 during the Pacific War. The colonial period began with the Briti ...

in July 1902. He had acted as the

Attorney General for Hong Kong The Secretary for Justice () is the head of the Hong Kong Department of Justice, the chief legal advisor to the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, and the chief law enforcement officer of the Government of Hong Kong. Before the Transfer of the So ...

during the departure of

William Meigh Goodman Sir William Meigh Goodman (1847 – 3 May 1928) was a British lawyer and Judge. He served as Attorney General and Chief Justice of British Honduras and Hong Kong in the late 19th and early 20th Century. His last position before retirement wa ...

in 1904. Sharp was later appointed as unofficial member of the Executive Council from 1916 to 1922. As a barrister he practised at the Hong Kong Supreme Court until 1906 and practised at home before the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

from 1906 to 1914. He returned to Hong Kong in late 1913. 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 was the chairman of the War Charities Executive Committee from 1915 to 1918, chairman of the Military Service Commission in 1918 and chairman of the General Military Service Tribunal in 1918. Sharp was honoured as the

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in 1918 for his government and war services. He was appointed chairman of the Commission of Inquiry into the finances of the

University of Hong Kong The University of Hong Kong (HKU) (Chinese: 香港大學) is a public research university in Hong Kong. Founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, it is the oldest tertiary institution in Hong Kong. HKU was also the fi ...

in 1920. The recommendations of the commissions made some important changes and more satisfactory position of the university. He was rewarded the

Legum Doctor Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...

honoris causa by the university in recognition of his service.

Personal life

Sharp married Sarah Cunliffe, daughter of Roger Cunliffe, of

Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in Kent, England, southeast of central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the Weald, High Weald, whose sandstone geology is exemplified by the rock formation High Roc ...

and had seven children. During his life in Hong Kong, he shared a residence with Colonial Secretary Dr.

Claud Severn Sir Claud Severn ( Chinese Translated Name: 施勳) (1869–1933) was a British colonial administrator. Severn joined the colonial civil service in British Malaya in 1894 and worked under the Governor of the Straits Settlements. In 1912, he beca ...

, and the deputy registrar of the Supreme Court C. A. D. Melbourne. Sharp was also a

Freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

and a member of the

Apollo University Lodge Apollo University Lodge No 357 is a Masonic Lodge based at the University of Oxford aimed at past and present members of the university. It was consecrated in 1819, and its members have met continuously since then. University of Oxford Membershi ...

, Oxford. He was also one of the founders of the Hong Kong University Lodge at its consecration in 1913.

Death

Sharp died of chronic nephritis at the Peak Hospital on 9 February 1922. His funeral took place at the

Hong Kong (Happy Valley) Cemetery Hong Kong Cemetery, formerly Hong Kong (Happy Valley) Cemetery and before that Hong Kong Colonial Cemetery, is one of the early Christian cemeteries in Hong Kong dating to its colonial era beginning in 1845. It is located beside the racecourse ...

, on the evening of the same day.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharp, Ernest Hamilton 1861 births 1922 deaths Attorneys General of Hong Kong Barristers of Hong Kong Alumni of Lincoln College, Oxford Alumni of the University of Hong Kong Members of the Inner Temple 20th-century King's Counsel Officers of the Order of the British Empire People from British Hong Kong Members of the Executive Council of Hong Kong Freemasons of the United Grand Lodge of England