Sir Frederic Aked Sellers_, (14 January 1893 – 20 March 1979) was a British barrister and judge. He was a

Lord Justice of Appeal A Lord Justice of Appeal or Lady Justice of Appeal is a judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, the court that hears appeals from the High Court of Justice, the Crown Court and other courts and tribunals. A Lord (or Lady) Justice ...

from 1957 to 1968.

Biography

Sellers was born in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, the youngest son of John Shuttleworth Sellers, a Liverpool shipowner, and Elizabeth (''née'' Stuart). He was educated at

Silcoates School Silcoates School is a co-educational independent school in the village of Wrenthorpe near Wakefield, England. The school was founded in 1820 as the Northern Congregational School at Silcoates House, for the board and education of the sons of Non ...

and the

University of Liverpool , mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning , established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...

. In 1917 he married Grace Lilian Malin in Derby. 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 served with the 13th Battalion,

King's Regiment (Liverpool) The King's Regiment (Liverpool) was one of the oldest line infantry regiments of the British Army, having been formed in 1685 and numbered as the 8th (The King's) Regiment of Foot in 1751. Unlike most British Army infantry regiments, which we ...

, reaching the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. He was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...

in 1916 and received two additional bars to the Military in 1918.Imperial War Museum In 1919 he was called to the Bar by

Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wale ...

and practised in Liverpool and on the Northern Circuit. He

took silk 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 ...

in 1935 and was elected a bencher of Gray's Inn in 1938. From 1938 to 1946, he was Recorder of Bolton. He also served as a member of the Bar Council during this period. During the Second World War, Sellers joined the Home Guard. He personally enlisted 70 volunteers, nicknamed 'Sellers'. Sellers was appointed a Justice of the

Queen's Bench Division The King's Bench Division (or Queen's Bench Division when the monarch is female) of the High Court of Justice deals with a wide range of common law cases and has supervisory responsibility over certain lower courts. It hears appeals on point ...

of the

High Court of England and Wales The High Court of Justice in London, known properly as His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Senior Courts of England and Wales. Its name is abbreviated as EWHC (England ...

(known as the King's Bench Division until 1952) on 13 February 1946. A few days later he was knighted. He was promoted to be a

in the

Court of Appeal of England and Wales The Court of Appeal (formally "His Majesty's Court of Appeal in England", commonly cited as "CA", "EWCA" or "CoA") is the highest court within the Courts of England and Wales#Senior Courts of England and Wales, Senior Courts of England and Wal ...

on 11 January 1957. Following that appointment, Sellers was made a member of the

Privy Council of the United Kingdom 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 e ...

. He retired from his judicial office on 10 January 1968.

Political career

Sellers was

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

candidate for Waterloo at the 1929 general election. He was the first Liberal candidate since 1923. In a three-party contest he came third polling 23%. In 1939 he was prospective Liberal party candidate for

Sudbury Sudbury may refer to: Places Australia * Sudbury Reef, Queensland Canada * Greater Sudbury, Ontario (official name; the city continues to be known simply as Sudbury for most purposes) ** Sudbury (electoral district), one of the city's federal e ...

; the planned election was postponed however and he never contested the seat. He contested the 1945 General Election as a Liberal party candidate at Hendon North, coming third.

Electoral record

Sources

* ''The Judges of England 1272-1990'', by Sir John Sainty (Selden Society, 1993)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sellers, Frederic 20th-century English judges 1893 births Knights Bachelor Lords Justices of Appeal Queen's Bench Division judges Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom 1979 deaths Members of Gray's Inn Recipients of the Military Cross Liberal Party (UK) parliamentary candidates Lawyers from Liverpool British Army officers British Army personnel of World War I British Army personnel of World War II English King's Counsel Alumni of the University of Liverpool