Edward Somers

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Sir Edward Jonathan Somers QC (9 September 1928 – 3 June 2002) was a New Zealand jurist and member of the Privy Council.

Biography[edit]

Somers was born in Christchurch in 1928, and was educated at Christ's College and the University of Canterbury, where he gained a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws.[1] In 1952, Somers became engaged to Mollie Louise Morison, and they later married and went on to have three children.[2][3]

Somers practised as a barrister and solicitor between 1952 and 1971, and solely as a barrister thereafter. In 1973, he was appointed Queen's Counsel, and the following year he became a judge of the Supreme Court (now High Court). He was appointed a judge of the Court of Appeal in 1981, a role from which he retired in 1990.[1] In 1981, he was also appointed to the Privy Council.

Somers was a part-time lecturer at the University of Canterbury from 1954 to 1974.[4]

In 1998, Somers was appointed by the British government to be a member of the Bloody Sunday Inquiry. He resigned from that role for personal reasons in 2000.[5]

Somers died of cancer in Christchurch in 2002.[3] His wife, Louise, Lady Somers, died in Christchurch in 2021.[6]

Honours[edit]

In the 1989 Queen's Birthday Honours, Somers was appointed a Knight Bachelor.[7] He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws by the University of Canterbury in 1992.[8]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Sir Edward Somers Archived 20 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Bloody Sunday Trust. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
  2. ^ "Engagements". The Press. Vol. 88, no. 26834. 12 September 1952. p. 2. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Sir Edward Somers". The Times. 24 June 2002. p. 35.
  4. ^ Van Beynen, Martin (15 June 2002). "'Enormously able' judge". The Press. p. 13.
  5. ^ Foster, Peter (3 August 2000). "The loss of Sir Edward does not invalidate any tribunal decisions". The Telegraph. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
  6. ^ "Lady Somers death notice". The Press. 29 September 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  7. ^ "No. 51774". The London Gazette (3rd supplement). 17 June 1989. p. 31.
  8. ^ Honorary Graduates. University of Canterbury. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
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