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 British Honduras was a British Crown colony on the east coast of Central America, south of Mexico, from 1783 to 1964, then a self-governing colony, renamed Belize in June 1973,

and Hong Kong in the late 19th and early 20th Century. His last position before retirement was as Chief Justice of Hong Kong.

Early life

Goodman was born in 1847 and was the fourth son of Samuel Robert Goodman, of London. Goodman was educated at

University College of London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = � ...

where he obtained a B.A.(hons) in 1867. He was called to the Bar at the

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn an ...

in 1870. He practised on the South Eastern Circuit and at the Surrey Sessions.

Career

Goodman served as

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

British Honduras British Honduras was a British Crown colony on the east coast of Central America, south of Mexico, from 1783 to 1964, then a self-governing colony, renamed Belize in June 1973,

(now

Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...

) from 1883 to 1886 and as Chief Justice of the same colony from 1886 to 1889. In 1886, he was commissioned to revise and consolidate the laws of British Honduras. In 1889, Goodman was appointed

Attorney-General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

and Admiralty Advocate of Hong Kong, taking up his post upon arrival on the ''City of Rio de Janeiro'' on 15 March of the next year. He was the first attorney-general of Hong Kong required to forego private practice. He served as acting Chief Justice from 6 March to 7 August 1895, during the absence of Sir

Fielding Clarke Sir Fielding Clarke (23 February 1851 – 30 July 1928) was a British colonial barrister, civil servant and jurist. He served as Chief Justice of Fiji, Hong Kong and Jamaica. Early life Clarke was the fourth son of Henry Booth Clarke and hi ...

, and for another four months in 1896 after the latter's retirement and was appointed a

Queen's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of ...

in 1900. In March 1902, he was appointed Chief Justice of Hong Kong and led the court until 1905. He was appointed a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are the ...

in the November

1902 Birthday Honours The 1902 Birthday Honours were announced on 10 November 1902, to celebrate the birthday of Edward VII the previous day. The list included appointments to various orders and honours of the United Kingdom and the British Empire. The list was publi ...

, and received the dignity on 9 December 1902. In 1903 he presided over the laying of the foundation stone for the new Hong Kong Supreme Court building.

Personal life

After the loss of his wife to a brief illness on 22 May 1890, Goodman took a leave of absence from 8 July until 7 January the next year. He retired to England in 1905 and, in 1907, his book ''Reminiscences of a Colonial Judge'' was published. Though going by his second given name, he used the initial W on official documents. He died on 3 May 1928 at the age of 81.Obituary,

Straits Times ''The Straits Times'' is an English-language daily broadsheet newspaper based in Singapore and currently owned by SPH Media Trust (previously Singapore Press Holdings). ''The Sunday Times'' is its Sunday edition. The newspaper was establishe ...

, 10 July 1928, p7

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goodman, William Meigh 1847 births 1928 deaths English civil servants Chief Justices of British Honduras Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of Hong Kong Attorneys General of Hong Kong Hong Kong Queen's Counsel Knights Bachelor Attorneys-General of British Honduras