Sir Claud Humphrey Meredith Waldock, (13 August 1904 – 15 August 1981) was a British

jurist A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyses and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal qualification in law and often a legal practitioner. In the U ...

and international lawyer.

Education

Waldock was born to a tea planter and his wife in

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...

Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. He attended Uppingham School and went up to

Brasenose College Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The library and chapel were added in the m ...

Oxford 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 th ...

and earned a hockey

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in 1926. He took a second-class in the

classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

moderations in 1925 and graduated with a second-class BA in

jurisprudence Jurisprudence, or legal theory, is the theoretical study of the propriety of law. Scholars of jurisprudence seek to explain the nature of law in its most general form and they also seek to achieve a deeper understanding of legal reasoning ...

in 1927 and BCL in 1928.

Career

Waldock was

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

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 W ...

in 1928. He practised on the Midlands Circuit for a short period of time, but returned to Oxford. He was a fellow at Brasenose and a lecturer in law from 1930 to 1947; and a lecturer in law at

Oriel College Oriel College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title formerly claimed by University College, w ...

from 1930 to 1939. He took

silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from th ...

in 1951 and was

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the ...

ed in 1961. He was appointed

OBE 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 1942 and CMG in 1946. His academic interest was initially in land law and equity, but following the Second World War Waldock joined a branch of the Admiralty, of which he headed and achieved the grade of principal assistant secretary in 1944. In this role, Waldock participated in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

's diplomatic relations with other countries. He left this role in 1945 and returned to Oxford, developing a part-time practice in international cases before 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 ...

which he maintained until 1973. Wadlock was Chichele Professor of Public International Law at

All Souls College, Oxford All Souls College (official name: College of the Souls of All the Faithful Departed) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Unique to All Souls, all of its members automatically become fellows (i.e., full members of t ...

, from 1947 to 1979. He was editor of The British Year Book of International Law from 1955 to 1974. He was elected

bencher A bencher or Master of the Bench is a senior member of an Inn of Court in England and Wales or the Inns of Court in Northern Ireland, or the Honorable Society of King's Inns in Ireland. Benchers hold office for life once elected. A bencher c ...

of Gray's Inn in 1956 and its

treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury ...

in 1971. He served on the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

' International Law Commission from 1961 to 1972. He was the Special Rapporteur on the Law of Treaties from 1962 to 1966, was president in 1967, and served as the Special Rapporteur on the Succession of States in respect of Treaties from 1968 to 1972. The six reports he completed on behalf of the ILC on the law of treaties continue to be leading sources of law for international law. Waldock served as the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

judge in the

European Court of Human Rights The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR or ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights. The court hears applications alleging that ...

from 1966 until 1974 and in the

from 1973 until 1981. He was the President of the ICJ from 1979 until his death in 1981. The British lawyer and historian A. W. B. Simpson recalled that Waldock told him that international law was diplomacy under a different name and that with regard to the operations of the International Court of Justice, "it's all done in the corridors."

Personal life

Waldock married Ethel Beatrice Williams in 1934, with whom he had one son, Humphrey Edward, and one daughter, Jill. Towards the end of his life, Waldock lived in Lathbury Road, North Oxford. In his ''

Who's Who ''Who's Who'' (or ''Who is Who'') is the title of a number of reference publications, generally containing concise biographical information on the prominent people of a country. The title has been adopted as an expression meaning a group of nota ...

'' entry, he expressed an interest in cricket, tennis, fishing and shooting. He died in

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 capita ...

in 1981 of an apparent heart attack.

Publications

Waldock wrote books on the law of mortgages, the use of force, general public international law and dozens of articles on international law.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Waldock, Humphrey 1904 births 1981 deaths People from Colombo International law scholars Presidents of the European Court of Human Rights Members of Gray's Inn Presidents of the International Court of Justice International Law Commission officials Fellows of All Souls College, Oxford Chichele Professors of Public International Law Knights Bachelor Sri Lankan people of English descent 20th-century English judges Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Officers of the Order of the British Empire British judges of United Nations courts and tribunals British judges of international courts and tribunals