Sir Thaddeus Pearcey McCarthy (24 August 1907 – 11 April 2001) was a
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...
jurist.
McCarthy was educated at
St Bede's College, Christchurch
St. Bede's College is a state integrated Roman Catholic day and boarding school in Christchurch, New Zealand, for boys aged 12 (Year 9) to 18 (Year 13). St. Bede's is the oldest Roman Catholic Boys' College in New Zealand's South Island. It is ...
, and then studied law at
Victoria University College
Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of New Zealand Parliament, Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Z ...
,
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...
and graduated in 1928. He was admitted as a solicitor only in 1929, completed an LLM degree (in 1930), and in 1931 was admitted as a barrister. He practised at the
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 ...
bar for 26 years until his appointment to the bench. McCarthy was in active service overseas during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
. He prosecuted
Walter James Bolton, who was executed in 1957, the last person executed in New Zealand.
McCarthy was appointed to 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 ...
bench in 1957, and from 1958 onwards he served periodically as a temporary judge of the
Court of Appeal of New Zealand
The Court of Appeal of New Zealand is the principal intermediate appellate court of New Zealand. It is also the final appellate court for a number of matters. In practice, most appeals are resolved at this intermediate appellate level, rather t ...
. Sir Thaddeus was President of the Court of Appeal from 1973 to 1976, and was the presiding member of an unprecedented seven
Royal Commissions. He was also a Commissioner of Security Appeals.
McCarthy had a reputation as a "plain English" judge with an outstanding ability to make complex matters understandable. 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 ...
in the
1964 New Year Honours
The New Year Honours 1964 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 1 January 1964 to celebrat ...
, and a
Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
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 ...
on
3 May 1974.
He was appointed a
Member of the Order of New Zealand
The Order of New Zealand is the highest honour in the New Zealand royal honours system, created "to recognise outstanding service to the Crown and people of New Zealand in a civil or military capacity". It was instituted by royal warrant on 6 F ...
, New Zealand's highest civilian honour, on 6 February 1994.
References
1907 births
2001 deaths
New Zealand people of Irish descent
New Zealand Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Members of the Order of New Zealand
New Zealand Knights Bachelor
People from Wellington City
Victoria University of Wellington alumni
High Court of New Zealand judges
Court of Appeal of New Zealand judges
Members of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council
People educated at St Bede's College, Christchurch
New Zealand members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
20th-century New Zealand judges
20th-century New Zealand lawyers
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