Sir William Rann Kennedy, (11 March 1846 – 17 January 1915) was 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, ...

jurist A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyses and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal qualification in law and often a legal practitioner. In the Uni ...

and

Lord Justice of Appeal A Lord Justice of Appeal or Lady Justice of Appeal is a judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, the court that hears appeals from the High Court of Justice, the Crown Court and other courts and tribunals. A Lord (or Lady) Justice ...

and accomplished classical scholar.

Life

Kennedy was born in the family home at 9 Campden Hill Villas,

Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

on 11 March 1846, the eldest son of the Rev William James Kennedy and his cousin, Sarah Caroline Kennedy, and grandson to the Rev Rann Kennedy. He was born into a family of distinguished classicists: three of his uncles had been senior classics at Cambridge;

Benjamin Hall Kennedy Benjamin Hall Kennedy (6 November 1804 – 6 April 1889) was an English scholar and schoolmaster, known for his work in the teaching of the Latin language. He was an active supporter of Newnham College and Girton College as Cambridge University ...

, the former headmaster of

Shrewsbury School Shrewsbury School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13 –18) in Shrewsbury. Founded in 1552 by Edward VI by Royal Charter, it was originally a boarding school for boys; girls have been admitted into the ...

and Professor of Greek at Cambridge, who headed the Tripos in 1827;

Charles Rann Kennedy Charles Rann Kennedy (1808 – 17 December 1867) was an English lawyer and classicist, best remembered for his involvement in the Swinfen will case and the issues of contingency fee agreements and legal ethics that it involved. Life Kennedy ...

, a barrister and noted translator of

Demosthenes Demosthenes (; el, Δημοσθένης, translit=Dēmosthénēs; ; 384 – 12 October 322 BC) was a Greek statesman and orator in ancient Athens. His orations constitute a significant expression of contemporary Athenian intellectual prow ...

, in 1831; and George John Kennedy, in 1832. All three were also Porson medallists at Cambridge (Kennedy's father was also claimed to be a Porson medallist, but his name is not listed). Kennedy was sent to study at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

rather than the traditional family school of Shrewsbury, largely as his uncle was headmaster there. He won a foundation scholarship at

King's College, Cambridge King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, the college lies beside the River Cam and faces out onto King's Parade in the centre of the city ...

. After winning the Craven and Bell scholarships and the Powis Medal, he came top in classics in 1868 - the fourth member of his family to do. Afterwards he was elected to a fellowship at

Pembroke College, Cambridge Pembroke College (officially "The Master, Fellows and Scholars of the College or Hall of Valence-Mary") is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college is the third-oldest college of the university and has over 700 ...

. For a year he served as private secretary President of the Poor Law Board.

Law

Kennedy was called to the Bar by

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincoln ...

in 1871, and he

took silk 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 ...

in 1885. His practice was mainly in Liverpool on circuit. In 1891 he published ''Law on Civil Salvage'' (a second edition would be published in 1907).

Politics

Kennedy stood for election three times for the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

, but lost on all three occasions. He stood for

Birkenhead Birkenhead (; cy, Penbedw) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liver ...

in 1885 and 1892 and lost to General Sir Edward Hamley both times. Later in 1892 he contested the seat of St Helens, where he narrowly lost to Sir

Henry Seton-Karr Sir Henry Seton-Karr (5 February 1853 – 29 May 1914) was an English explorer, hunter and author and a Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1885 to 1906. Seton-Karr, born in India in 1853, was the son of George Berkel ...

by just 59 votes.

Judicial office

After his defeat in the St Helen's by-election in 1892, Kennedy was appointed as a High Court judge assigned to the Queen's Bench, receiving the customary knighthood. On the bench Kennedy developed a reputation as a slow and ponderous judge; his cleverness tending towards indecision. In 1893 '' Vanity Fair'' published a highly critical article of him, stating that although he was "liked and respected" nonetheless "with all his virtues, he is a failure as a judge", and concluding that he was "a very weak Judge with excellent intentions." In 1907 he was elevated to 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 ...

and sworn of the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

. He would hold these offices until his death in 1915. He was buried on the western side of

Highgate Cemetery Highgate Cemetery is a place of burial in north London, England. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East Cemeteries. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for some of the people buried there as ...

. Notable decisions which Kennedy was involved in included the first instance decision in ''

Allen v Flood ''Allen v Flood'' 898AC 1 is a leading case in English tort law and UK labour law on intentionally inflicted economic loss. Facts A trade union official told an employer his members would not work alongside the claimants. The employer was pressu ...

898 __NOTOC__ Year 898 ( DCCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * January 1 – King Odo I (or Eudes) dies at La Fère (Northern France) af ...

AC 1. In 1909, Kennedy was elected a

fellow of the British Academy Fellowship of the British Academy (FBA) is an award granted by the British Academy to leading academics for their distinction in the humanities and social sciences. The categories are: # Fellows – scholars resident in the United Kingdom # C ...

Arms

Notes

External links

* Portraits: {{DEFAULTSORT:Kennedy, William Rann 1846 births 1915 deaths Burials at Highgate Cemetery Members of Lincoln's Inn Lords Justices of Appeal English King's Counsel 19th-century King's Counsel 20th-century King's Counsel Knights Bachelor People educated at Eton College Alumni of King's College, Cambridge Fellows of Pembroke College, Cambridge Classical scholars of the University of Cambridge Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Fellows of the British Academy 19th-century English lawyers