James Beveridge Thomson (24 March 1902 – 31 March 1983),[1] was a Scottish jurist and barrister who was the Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Malaysia. He was also Chief Justice of Fiji.
James Beveridge Thomson | |
|---|---|
| 1st Lord President of the Federal Court | |
| In office 1963–1966 | |
| Preceded by | Post created |
| Succeeded by | Syed Sheh Hassan Barakbah |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 24 March 1902 Clydebank, Scotland |
| Died | 31 March 1983 (aged 81) |
| Spouse | Toh Puan Datin Lady Florence Adams Thomson |
Life
editBorn in Clydebank, Scotland, he attended George Watson's College and graduated from the University of Edinburgh with first class honours in history.
He was called to the English Bar (Middle Temple) in 1929. He was a resident magistrate in Northern Rhodesia, appointed Puisne Judge, Fiji and Western Pacific, in 1945,[2] and Puisne Judge in Malaya in 1947.[3] He was Chief Justice of Fiji (and ex officio Chief Judicial Commissioner for the Western Pacific) 1949–1953, and Chief Justice of Tonga.[4] He was called to the Scottish Bar in 1955.[5]
From 1953, Thomson was back in Malaya. He was a judge in the High Court in Ipoh, Perak, from 1953 to 1957.[6] In 1957, he was appointed as Chief Justice of Malaya,[7] receiving a knighthood in 1959.[8] After the formation of Malaysia in September 1963, Thomson served as its first Lord President of the Federal Court until May 1966.[Note 1] He was appointed KBE in 1966.[9]
Family life
editHe married Dr Florence Adams, MRCP (Eng.), LRCP (Lond.). After Sir James Thomson's knighthood in 1959, she was known as Toh Puan Datin Lady Florence Adams Thomson. She was a practising physician, working in Northern Rhodesia, where her husband was Resident Magistrate,[10][11] and was Medical Officer in Fiji.[12] During their time in Malaysia, she became chief nutritionist at the Institute of Medical Research in Kuala Lumpur, carrying out research and authoring a number of articles on child nutrition in Malaysia.[13] [14] When in Scotland, and after their retirement, they lived at Craig Gowan, Carrbridge, Badenoch and Strathspey, Highland region (formerly Inverness-shire).[5]
Honours
editCommonwealth honours
edit
Malaya :
Honorary Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (P.M.N.(K)) – Tan Sri (1958)[15]
Malaysia :
Honorary Grand Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (S.M.N.(K)) – Tun (1966)[16]
United Kingdom
Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) – Sir (1966)
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Selected bibliography
edit- Thomson, James Beveridge (1950). The laws of the British Solomon Islands Protectorate : containing the King's regulations and subsidiary legislation thereunder enacted on or before the 1st day of January, 1948 (2 Vols.). British Solomon Islands: A. J. Elphick, Acting Government Printer.
- Thomson, James Beveridge (1951). Electoral Act, revised edition of the laws of Tonga comprising all laws, acts, and ordinances in force on the first day of January 1948. Dunedin, New Zealand: Coulls Somerville Willie.
Notes
edit- ^ The Federal Court was known as the Supreme Court between 1985-1994.
References
edit- ^ Obituary, The Times (London), 8 April 1983
- ^ "No. 36891". The London Gazette. 12 January 1945. p. 362.
- ^ "No. 38145". The London Gazette. 12 December 1947. p. 5872.
- ^ Pursuivant (5 June 1965). "From All Quarters - Back Home". The Herald. Glasgow: 6.
- ^ a b The Bar list of the United Kingdom. London: Stevens & Sons. 1982.
- ^ Malaysian High Court judgments
- ^ Tan, Roger (14 November 2011). "Judicial diversity creates confidence". The Malaysian Bar (Padan Peguan Malaysia). Retrieved 14 March 2012.
- ^ "No. 41589". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 1959. p. 2.
- ^ "No. 43854". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 1966. p. 20.
- ^ Adam-Thomson, F. (28 January 1939). "New Menstruation Toilet". BMJ. 1 (4073): 189. doi:10.1136/bmj.1.4073.189-b. PMC 2208769.
- ^ Thomson, Dr. F. Adam (23 July 1949). "Points from Letters: Creeping Eruption". BMJ. 1 (4620): 234. doi:10.1136/bmj.2.4620.234-c. PMC 2050457.
- ^ Thomson, F. Adam (March 1949). "Dietary deficiencies in children in the island of Viti Levu, Fiji". Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 42 (5): 487–492. doi:10.1016/0035-9203(49)90054-1. PMID 18118370.
- ^ Thomson, Datin Lady; Ruiz, Elva; Bakar, Mangisi (September 1964). "Vitamin A and protein deficiency in Malayan children". Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 58 (5): 425–431. doi:10.1016/0035-9203(64)90090-2. PMID 14206699.
- ^ Tee, E. Siong (1980). An annotated bibliography of nutrition research in Malaysia (1900–1979) (PDF) (Report). ASEAN sub-committee on protein.
- ^ "Senarai Penuh Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat Persekutuan Tahun 1958" (PDF).
- ^ "Semakan Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat Tahun 1966" (PDF).
- Morais, J. Victor (1967). Selected Speeches.
- Morais, J. Victor, ed. (1965) [first edition published in 1956]. The Who's who in Malaysia (5 ed.). Kuala Lumpur.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
External links
edit- Photo of Sir James Thomson as first Lord President of the Malaysian Federal Court
- Malaysian granny with child: photo by Dr. F. Adam Thomson, The Straits Times, 17 November 1950, Page 6