Simon Denis Brown, Baron Brown of Eaton-under-Heywood, PC (born 9 April 1937) is a

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, ...

barrister and former Law Lord and Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, from 2009 to 2012.

Early life

The son of Denis Baer Brown and Edna Elizabeth Brown (''née'' Abrahams), Brown was born on 9 April 1937 into a middle class

Jewish 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""The ...

family. He was educated at Stowe School, an independent school in Stowe, Buckinghamshire. He undertook National Service in the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

from 1955 to 1957. He was commissioned on 24 March 1956 as a second lieutenant. He was transferred to the Regular Army Reserves of Officers on 29 July 1957, thereby ending his active service. He was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

on 7 January 1961. He graduated from Worcester College, Oxford, of which he was elected an honorary fellow in 1993.

Legal career

Brown 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 ...

in 1961, having been Harmsworth Scholar. From 1979 to 1984, he was a Recorder and First Junior Treasury Counsel (Common Law). From 1980, he was a Master of the Bench of the Middle Temple.

Judicial career

Brown was appointed a High Court Judge in 1984 and assigned to 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 ...

, receiving a

knighthood 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 ...

on his appointment. He became a Lord Justice of Appeal, a judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, in 1992 and was made a

Privy Counsellor 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 ei ...

in the same year. He was vice-president of the Civil Division from 2001 to 2003. On 13 January 2004, he was appointed a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary, and therefore became a life peer with the title Baron Brown of Eaton-under-Heywood, of

Eaton-under-Heywood Eaton-under-Heywood is a civil parish in Shropshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 171. It is named after the small village of Eaton, which lies under Wenlock Edge and the woods along it. The village is also ...

in the

County of Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to t ...

, sitting as a crossbencher. He and nine other Lords of Appeal in Ordinary became

Justices 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 Supreme Court upon that body's inauguration on 1 October 2009.

Personal life

He has been married to Jennifer Buddicom since 31 May 1963; they have two sons and one daughter (Benedict, Daniel and Abigail) and five grandchildren.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Simon 1937 births British Jews People educated at Stowe School Alumni of Worcester College, Oxford Royal Artillery officers 20th-century English judges Brown of Eaton-under-Heywood Members of the Middle Temple English King's Counsel Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom British people of German-Jewish descent British people of Jewish descent Queen's Bench Division judges Members of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council Judges of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom Knights Bachelor Crossbench life peers Living people Lords Justices of Appeal 21st-century English judges