Stephen, Sir James Fitzjames, 1st Baronet

Stephen, Sir James Fitzjames, 1st Baronet
born March 3, 1829, London, Eng.
died March 11, 1894, Ipswich, Suffolk

British legal historian and judge.

His General View of the Criminal Law of England (1863) was the first attempt to explain the principles of English law since the work of William Blackstone. As a member of the British viceroy's council in India (1869–72), he helped codify and reform Indian law. He later taught at the Inns of Court (1875–79) and served as a judge of the High Court of Justice (1879–91). His Indictable Offenses Bill, though never enacted, greatly influenced the reformation of criminal law in English-speaking countries.

* * *

▪ British law scholar

born March 3, 1829, London
died March 11, 1894, Ipswich, Suffolk, Eng.
 British legal historian, Anglo-Indian administrator, judge, and author noted for his criminal-law (criminal law) reform proposals. His Indictable Offences Bill (late 1870s), though never enacted in Great Britain, has continued to influence attempts to recast the criminal law of Commonwealth nations and other English-speaking countries.

      An older brother of the literary critic Sir Leslie Stephen, Sir James practiced law from 1854 and contributed articles on a wide range of topics to various periodicals, especially the Pall Mall Gazette. His General View of the Criminal Law of England (1863) was the first attempt after Sir William Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England (1765–69) to state systematically the principles of English criminal jurisprudence. Even more ambitious was his History of the Criminal Law of England (1883), an impressive work despite his dogmatism and occasionally uncritical use of sources. Liberty, Equality, Fraternity (1873) elaborated his antidemocratic political philosophy in reply to John Stuart Mill's On Liberty (1859).

      As the member of the British viceroy's council in India (1869–72) responsible for legal matters, Stephen devoted himself to the codification and reform of Indian law. Subsequently he prepared digests of the English law of evidence (1876) and criminal law (1877). Political opposition prevented the introduction of his Indictable Offences Bill (actually a comprehensive criminal code) in the House of Commons. From 1879 to 1891 he was a judge of the Queen's Bench Division of the English court system. In 1891 he was created a baronet.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • James Fitzjames Stephen — Sir James Fitzjames Stephen, 1st Baronet (3 March 1829 11 March 1894) was an English lawyer ,judge and anti libertarian writer, created 1st Baronet Stephen by Queen Victoria.Early lifeBorn in Kensington, London, he was the grandson of James… …   Wikipedia

  • sir — /serr/, n. 1. a respectful or formal term of address used to a man: No, sir. 2. (cap.) the distinctive title of a knight or baronet: Sir Walter Scott. 3. (cap.) a title of respect for some notable personage of ancient times: Sir Pandarus of Troy …   Universalium

  • baronet — baronetical, adj. /bar euh nit, bar euh net /, n. a member of a British hereditary order of honor, ranking below the barons and made up of commoners, designated by Sir before the name and Baronet, usually abbreviated Bart., after: Sir John Smith …   Universalium

  • James — /jaymz/, n. 1. Also called James the Great. one of the 12 apostles, the son of Zebedee and brother of the apostle John. Matt. 4:21. 2. the person identified in Gal. 1:19 as a brother of Jesus: probably the author of the Epistle of St. James. 3.… …   Universalium

  • Stephen — /stee veuhn/, n. 1. Saint, died A.D. c35, first Christian martyr. 2. Saint, c975 1038, first king of Hungary 997 1038. 3. (Stephen of Blois) 1097? 1154, king of England 1135 54. 4. Sir Leslie, 1832 1904, English critic, biographer, and… …   Universalium

  • ST — Real Estate. septic tank. * * * (as used in expressions) St. Mary Alexander Harold Rupert Leofric George Alexander 1st Earl Amherst Jeffery Amherst 1st Baron Asquith Herbert Henry 1st earl of Oxford and Asquith Attlee Clement Richard 1st Earl… …   Universalium

  • st — stere. * * * (as used in expressions) St. Mary Alexander Harold Rupert Leofric George Alexander 1st Earl Amherst Jeffery Amherst 1st Baron Asquith Herbert Henry 1st earl of Oxford and Asquith Attlee Clement Richard 1st Earl Attlee of Walthamstow… …   Universalium

  • crime — crimeless, adj. crimelessness, n. /kruym/, n. 1. an action or an instance of negligence that is deemed injurious to the public welfare or morals or to the interests of the state and that is legally prohibited. 2. criminal activity and those… …   Universalium

  • List of King's College London alumni — This List of King s College London alumni includes graduates, non graduate former students, and current students of King s College London. The list also includes those whom are alumni by extension, having studied at institutions that have… …   Wikipedia

  • List of Old Etonians born in the 19th century — The following notable old boys of Eton College were born in the 19th century.1800s* Winthrop Mackworth Praed (1802 ndash;1839), poet and politician * Sir John William Lubbock (1803 ndash;1865), Vice Chancellor, University of London, 1837… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”