Sir William Kenneth Horne (1883 – 8 February 1959) was a British

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

, colonial judge, and Speaker of the

Legislative Council of Kenya The Legislative Council of Kenya (LegCo) was the legislature of Kenya between 1907 and 1963. It was modelled on the Westminster system. It began as a nominated, exclusively European institution and evolved into an electable legislature with unive ...

from 1948 to 1954. Horne practiced at the

English bar Barristers in England and Wales are one of the two main categories of lawyer in England and Wales, the other being solicitors. Barristers have traditionally had the role of handling cases for representation in court, both defence and prosecutio ...

from 1913 to 1915, then fought in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

from 1915 to 1918. He then returned to private practice (or "was for many years abroad") until 1925, when he was appointed

Chief Justice of Tonga Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boa ...

. From February to September 1929, he served as

Chief Justice of Fiji The chief justice is Fiji's highest judicial officer. The office and its responsibilities are set out in Chapter 5 of the 2013 Constitution of Fiji. The Chief Justice is appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister Prime Minis ...

and

Chief Judicial Commissioner for the Western Pacific The Chief Justice of the High Commissioner's Court, more commonly known as the Chief Judicial Commissioner for the Western Pacific, was the chief judicial officer throughout the British Western Pacific Territories from 1877 through 1976. This was ...

. From 1929 to 1933, he was a judge of the

Supreme Court of the Gambia The Supreme Court of the Gambia is a superior court of record and the highest court in The Gambia. Established in 1851, it has appellate and original jurisdiction over any law exceeding the powers conferred by the Constitution or any law upon th ...

, and from 1933 to 1937, he was a judge of the

Supreme Court of Kenya The Supreme Court of Kenya is the Supreme court, highest court in Kenya. It is established under Article 163 of the constitution of Kenya, Kenyan Constitution. As the highest court in the nation, its decisions are binding and set precedent on all ...

. From 1937 to 1942, he was a Puisne Judge of the Supreme Court of the Strait Settlements. From 1942 to 1944, he was in East Africa on war service. In 1944, he was seconded to Kenya as a judge of the Supreme Court. He retired in 1948, and was Speaker of the Kenya Legislative Council from 1948 to 1955, when he retired. Knighted in 1954 "for public services in Kenya," he settled in

Banbury Banbury is a historic market town on the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire, South East England. It had a population of 54,335 at the 2021 Census. Banbury is a significant commercial and retail centre for the surrounding area of north Oxfordshire ...

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

, where he died.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Horne, William Kenneth Army Cadet Force officers 1883 births 1959 deaths English barristers British Army personnel of World War I British Army personnel of World War II Chief justices of Tonga Knights Bachelor Colony of Fiji judges Gambia Colony and Protectorate judges British Kenya judges British Western Pacific Territories judges Straits Settlements judges