Sir Alfred Kingsley North (17 December 1900 – 22 June 1981), also known as Alf North, was a New Zealand lawyer and judge. He was President of the Court of Appeal of New Zealand from 1963 until his retirement in 1972.

Biography

North was born in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

in 1900, the son of Baptist minister John North. As a teenager, North contracted

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...

and had a limp for the rest of his life. He received his education at

West Christchurch District High School Christchurch West High School (originally Christchurch Academy then High School of Christchurch and then West Christchurch Borough School) existed prior to 1966 on the site of Hagley College in Hagley Avenue, in Christchurch, New Zealand. In that ...

, Christchurch Boys' High School, and then attended Canterbury University College, graduating

LLM A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...

in 1927. He first practiced in Ashburton from 1921. After obtaining his Master of Laws, he was in partnership in

Hāwera Hāwera is the second-largest centre in the Taranaki region of New Zealand's North Island, with a population of . It is near the coast of the South Taranaki Bight. The origins of the town lie in a government military base that was established i ...

. From 1935, he was a barrister and a partner in the legal firm Earl, Kent, Stanton,

Massey Massey may refer to: Places Canada * Massey, Ontario * Massey Island, Nunavut New Zealand * Massey, New Zealand, an Auckland suburb United States * Massey, Alabama * Massey, Iowa * Massey, Maryland People * Massey (surname) Education ...

, North and Palmer in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

, replacing

Erima Northcroft Sir Erima Harvey Northcroft (2 December 1884 – 10 October 1953) was a New Zealand lawyer, judge, and military leader. His papers from the Tokyo War Crimes Trial are held by the University of Canterbury. Biography Northcroft was born in Hoki ...

who had been appointed judge. In 1951, North was appointed judge 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 ...

. When the

Court of Appeal A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of t ...

was reconstituted 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 ...

in 1957, North was one of its founding members and relocated to the capital city, where he lived in Wadestown. North was the president of the Court of Appeal from 1963 to 1972. Between 1976 and 1978, North conducted a commission of inquiry into an alleged breach of confidentiality of the police file on

Colin Moyle Colin James Moyle (born 18 July 1929) is a former politician of the New Zealand Labour Party who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1963 to 1976 and again from 1981 to 1990. He was a Government minister in the Third Labour and Fourth ...

. For the respective Auckland branches, North was president for Rotary and chairman of the New Zealand Crippled Children's Society.

Family

On 31 December 1924, North married Thelma Areta Dawson (1902–1991) at

Oxford Terrace Baptist Church Oxford Terrace Baptist Church is located in the Christchurch Central City on a prominent corner property fronting the Avon River. The original building was significantly damaged in the 2010 Canterbury earthquake and collapsed in the subsequent F ...

in Christchurch, with his father officiating the ceremony. North died on 22 June 1981 in Auckland. His wife survived him by ten years. Both were cremated at Purewa Cemetery and Crematorium.

Honours

Alongside

Ossie Mazengarb Oswald Chettle Mazengarb (31 May 1890 – 27 November 1963), known as Ossie Mazengarb, was a New Zealand barrister. Biography Mazengarb was born in Prahran, a suburb of Melbourne, in 1890. His family moved to Dunedin soon after his birth and ...

, North was appointed

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 ...

on 18 April 1947. He was made 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 the ...

in the

1959 Queen's Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 1959 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. The appointments were made to celebrate ...

. 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 ...

, he was appointed 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 ...

. He was made a Privy Counsellor in 1966.

References

External links

Photo of Sir Alfred North and Lady North
June 1959 {{DEFAULTSORT:North, Alfred 1900 births 1981 deaths People from Christchurch People educated at Christchurch West High School People educated at Christchurch Boys' High School University of Canterbury alumni New Zealand King's Counsel Court of Appeal of New Zealand judges New Zealand Knights Bachelor New Zealand Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Members of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council 20th-century New Zealand lawyers New Zealand members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom

Biography

Family

Honours

See also

References

External links