Sir Michael Myers (7 September 1873 – 8 April 1950), also known as Mickey Myers, was the sixth Chief Justice of the

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

of New Zealand from 1929 to 1946 and served occasionally as Administrator of New Zealand from 1930 to 1941. He was the first

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...

to hold this position. He sat on the

Judicial Committee of the Privy Council The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is the highest court of appeal for the Crown Dependencies, the British Overseas Territories, some Commonwealth countries and a few institutions in the United Kingdom. Established on 14 Augus ...

in 1936. Born in

Motueka Motueka is a town in the South Island of New Zealand, close to the mouth of the Motueka River on the western shore of Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere. It is the second largest in the Tasman Region, with a population of as of The surrounding ...

, Myers was educated at Thorndon School and

Wellington College Wellington College may refer to: *Wellington College, Berkshire, an independent school in Crowthorne, Berkshire, England ** Wellington College International Shanghai ** Wellington College International Tianjin * Wellington College, Wellington, Ne ...

, and gained his

LLB Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

from

Canterbury College Canterbury College may refer to: * Canterbury College (Indiana), U.S. * Canterbury College (Waterford), Queensland, Australia * Canterbury College (Windsor, Ontario), Canada * Canterbury College, Kent, England * Canterbury College, Oxford, England ...

in 1897. Afterwards he was admitted to 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 ...

. Myers lived in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

. He went to the 1945 San Francisco conference that produced the

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

, and participated in the drafting of the constitution 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 ...

. He resigned on 6 September 1945, but was reappointed for one year, and then resigned on 7 August 1946. Myers died in

in 1950, aged 76. He had been made

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 ...

in 1922, Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in the 1930 New Year Honours, and promoted to

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honour ...

in the 1937 Coronation Honours.

Family

On 2 August 1899 he married Estelle Miriam Salom (24 February 1876 – 11 May 1960), daughter of

Maurice Salom Maurice Salom (1 July 1831 – 10 October 1903) was a businessman and politician in the colony of South Australia. Biography Salom was born in London to A. H. Salom, a member of an old family of Sephardic Jews, a merchant and at one time a plan ...

, MLC of Adelaide, South Australia. There were two sons: Maurice Salom Myers (1900–1986) and Geoffrey Alexander Myers (1908–2002). Myer's sister Phoebe Myers was a notable educationalist, who represented New Zealand at the League of Nations in 1929.

References

External links

Biography in the 1966 Encyclopaedia of New Zealand
{{DEFAULTSORT:Myers, Michael 1873 births 1950 deaths Chief justices of New Zealand People educated at Wellington College (New Zealand) High Court of New Zealand judges Members of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council New Zealand Jews New Zealand Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George 20th-century New Zealand judges People from Motueka University of Canterbury alumni New Zealand King's Counsel New Zealand members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom