Gilbert Walter King

Gilbert Walter King, assistant Judge of the British Supreme Court for China

Gilbert Walter King OBE (30 June 1871 – 23 December 1937) was a British judge who served in China. His last position before retirement was as Assistant Judge of the British Supreme Court for China.

Early life

King was born in Bombay, India on 30 June 1871. His father, Alfred King, was a storekeeper and then an accountant for the Great Indian Peninsula Railway. His mother, Mary, had also been born in Bombay.^[1] King was educated at Brighton Grammar School and London University, where he graduated with an LL.B in 1895. He then practiced as a solicitor in London.^[2]

Legal career

King was appointed Assistant Clerk of the British Supreme Court for China and Corea on 1 April 1903. At this time, his elder brother, Harold King, was sitting as Acting Assistant Judge of the court. King was promoted to Registrar in 1908 and served in that position until 1927. In 1919, he re-qualified as a barrister and was called to the bar of Gray's Inn. He was awarded an OBE in 1925.^[3]

In November 1927, he was appointed Assistant Judge of the court on the promotion of the then Assistant Judge, Peter Grain to Judge.^[4]

Retirement and death

King retired in 1931 and was succeeded by Penrhyn Grant Jones.

He died six years later at his home at Reigate, England at the age of 66 on 23 December 1937.^[5]

Further reading

• Clark, Douglas (2015). Gunboat Justice: British and American Law Courts in China and Japan (1842-1943). Hong Kong: Earnshaw Books. , Vol. 1: ISBN 978-988-82730-8-9; Vol. 2: ISBN 978-988-82730-9-6; Vol. 3: ISBN 978-988-82731-9-5

References