James Keith, Baron Keith of Avonholm
| The Right Honourable The Lord Keith of Avonholm PC QC | |
|---|---|
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| Lord of Appeal in Ordinary | |
|
In office 1953–1961 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Senator of the College of Justice | |
|
In office 1937–1953 | |
| Monarch |
George VI Elizabeth II |
| Dean of the Faculty of Advocates | |
|
In office 1936–1937 | |
| Preceded by | William Chree |
| Succeeded by | William Donald Patrick |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
James Keith 20 May 1886 Hamilton, Lanarkshire |
| Died | 29 June 1964 (aged 78) |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Relations | Sir Henry Shanks Keith (father) |
| Alma mater | Hamilton Academy |
| Profession | Advocate |
James Keith, Baron Keith of Avonholm PC KC (20 May 1886 – 29 June 1964) was a Scottish advocate and judge. He served as a Lord of Session from 1937 to 1953, and then as a Law Lord until 1961.
His grandfather and namesake, James Keith (17 April 1825 – 21 March 1901) and his father, Sir Henry Shanks Keith (26 Dec. 1852 – 9 July 1944) both served as Provosts of Hamilton, Lanarkshire, Scotland; his father also being appointed a Deputy Lieutenant and Honorary Sheriff of Lanarkshire. His family owned the large high-end grocery business, Keith's of Hamilton, operating from substantial premises on the town's Cadzow Street (the building remains.) [1]
The young James Keith was brought up at Avonholm, Hamilton and attended the prestigious Hamilton Academy.
Key career dates and appointments
1911 admitted to the Faculty of Advocates
1926 invested as King's Counsel (KC)
1936–37 served as Dean of the Faculty of Advocates
1937–53 served as a Lord of Session
1937–53 served as Senator of the College of Justice (Scotland)
1953 appointed, Privy Counsellor (PC)
1953 created Baron Keith of Avonholm of St. Bernard's in the City of Edinburgh
1953–61 served as a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary. Here he dissented in 22% of the cases which he heard – a larger percentage than that of his famously radical contemporary, Lord Denning.[2]
Children
On the 7 July 1915 James Keith married Jean Maitland Bennett. The couple had three children –
- The Hon. Elizabeth Hamilton Keith
- The Hon. Helena Stewart Keith
- The Rt Hon. The Lord Keith of Kinkel (7 Feb. 1922 – 21 June 2002).
Lord Keith's son Henry was himself appointed Queen's Counsel (1963); Lord of Session (1971); Privy Counsellor (1976); created in 1977 Baron Keith of Kinkel, of Strathummel in the District of Perth and Kinross and holding the office of Lord of Appeal in Ordinary (1977–96), and being invested as Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (G.B.E.) in 1997.[3]
References
- ↑ biographic information, retrieved 2 Oct. 2010
- ↑ Heward, Edmund (1990). Lord Denning: A Biography. George Weidenfeld & Nicholson Limited. ISBN 0-297-81138-X.
- ↑ Lundy, Darryl. "p. 23189 § 231882 - biography, Lord Keith of Kinkell". The Peerage.