Robert Anderson Mowat, was a British judge and diplomat, serving in China and Japan. His last position before retirement was as

Judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

of the

British Court for Japan The British Court for Japan (formally Her Britannic Majesty's Court for Japan) was a court established in Yokohama in 1879 to try cases against British subjects in Japan, under the principles of extraterritoriality. The court also heard appeals ...

Early life

Mowat was born in 1843 in Edinburgh, Scotland, the only son of Joseph Mowat. He was educated in Edinburgh before attending

London University The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree- ...

, which nominated him for the

Foreign Office Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * Unit ...

exam.

Career

Mowat joined the British China Consular Service in 1864 as a

student interpreter Student interpreter was, historically, an entry-level position in the British and American diplomatic and consular service, principally in China, Japan, Siam and, in the case of the United States, Turkey. It is no longer used as a title. A number o ...

. In 1866, he was appointed Acting Law Secretary of the British Supreme Court for China and Japan in Shanghai. He was appointed to the substantive position in 1868. In 1869 Mowat went on long leave to study for the bar and was admitted 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 1871. In 1876, he was appointed "Deputy Chief Judge", while the Acting Judge of the court,

Charles Wycliffe Goodwin Charles Wycliffe Goodwin (1817–1878) was an English Egyptologist, bible scholar, lawyer and judge. His last judicial position was as Acting Chief Judge of the British Supreme Court for China and Japan. Early life Goodwin was born on 2 April 1 ...

was in Yokohama. Due to Goodwin's ill-health and death, he held the position for most of the time until 1878 when a new Chief Judge, George French, arrived in Shanghai. In 1878, he was appointed Assistant Judge and

Registrar A registrar is an official keeper of records made in a register. The term may refer to: Education * Registrar (education), an official in an academic institution who handles student records * Registrar of the University of Oxford, one of the se ...

of the Court. In 1891, Mowat was appointed Judge of the

based in

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...

. Before leaving for Japan, he acted as both British Chief Justice and Consul-General in Shanghai for over half a year until the new Chief Justice and Consul General,

Nicholas John Hannen Sir Nicholas John Hannen (24 August 1842 – 27 April 1900) was a British barrister, diplomat and judge who served in China and Japan. He was the Chief Justice of the British Supreme Court for China and Japan from 1891 to 1900 and also served c ...

could take up the posts. In his position as Judge for Japan, Mowat tried (with a

jury A jury is a sworn body of people (jurors) convened to hear evidence and render an impartiality, impartial verdict (a Question of fact, finding of fact on a question) officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a sentence (law), penalty o ...

) Edith Carew for the murder of her husband in 1896 in

. Soon after, he retired due to ill health and returned to England.

Death

Mowat died on 7 June 1925 in

Hove Hove is a seaside resort and one of the two main parts of the city of Brighton and Hove, along with Brighton in East Sussex, England. Originally a "small but ancient fishing village" surrounded by open farmland, it grew rapidly in the 19th cen ...

.Obituary, Times, June 9, 1925

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mowat, Robert Anderson 1843 births 1925 deaths British Supreme Court for China judges British diplomats in East Asia 19th-century British lawyers British expatriates in China British expatriates in Japan

Early life

Career

Death

Further reading

References