Alexander Wood Renton

Sir Alexander Wood Renton GCMG KC (24 June 1861 – 17 June 1933) was a Scottish lawyer and British colonial judge. He served as the 21st Chief Justice of Ceylon from 1914 to 1918.

Sir Alexander Wood Renton GCMG KC
21st Chief Justice of Ceylon
In office 22 August 1914 – 1918
Appointed by	Robert Chalmers
Preceded by	Alfred Lascelles
Succeeded by	Anton Bertram
Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Ceylon
Personal details
Born	24 June 1861 Auchtermuchty, Fife, Scotland
Died	17 June 1933 (aged 71) London, England[1]
Alma mater	University of Edinburgh

Biography

Renton was born in Fife, the son of Rev. John Renton and Janet Morrison (née Wemyss), a cousin of Sir James Wemyss Mackenzie, 5th Baronet. He was educated at the Glasgow Academy and the University of Edinburgh, where he took first class honours in the Legum Baccalaureus examination. He was called to the bar at Gray's Inn in 1885.[1]

As a barrister in England, he did not acquire a large practice, but secured his reputation through his legal writings, including his 1896 book, Law and Practice of Lunacy. He was an editor of the 13-volume Encyclopaedia of English Law (1897), English Reports, and the Law Journal, and contributed many legal articles to the Encyclopædia Britannica.[1]

In 1901, Renton was sent to Mauritius as Procureur and Advocate-General, and served as a judge on the island. In 1905, he was appointed to the Supreme Court of Ceylon. He was promoted to Chief Justice of Ceylon on 22 August 1914 succeeding Alfred Lascelles and was Chief Justice until 1918. He was succeeded by Anton Bertram.[2][3][4][5]

In 1918, Renton returned to England with the intention of retiring; however, the Colonial Office sent him on a special mission to Nigeria and the Gold Coast Colony.[1]

In 1919, the Foreign Office sent him to Egypt, where he was vice-president of the Egyptian Riots Indemnities Commission. He was subsequently appointed chairman of the Ceylon Salaries Commission (1921), the Irish Compensation Commission (1923), the Irish Grants Committee (1926).[1]

He was made a member of the Privy Council in 1923.[1]

Personal life and honours

Renton was knighted in the 1915 Birthday Honours. He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in the 1925 Birthday Honours and promoted a Knight Grand Cross of the same order in 1930.[1]

In 1889, he married Elizabeth (née Jackson), with whom he had two daughters. He died in London, aged 71. In his obituary, The Times described him as a popular man: "Personally, he was much liked, and his Scottish humour was enhanced by the agreeable accent with which it was conveyed."[1]

References

1. "Sir A. W. Renton – Jurist and Colonial Judge". The Times. The Times Digital Archive. 19 June 1933. p. 19.
2. "Overview". Judicial Service Commission Secretariat. Archived from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
3. "RENTON, Sir Alexander Wood". Who's Who. ukwhoswho.com. A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc. Retrieved 7 January 2013. (subscription or UK public library membership required)
4. "The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1884–1942), 3 July 1933, Page 5". newspapers.nl.sg. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
5. Amerasinghe, A. Ranjit B. (1986). The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka : the first 185 years. Ratmalana: Sarvodaya Book Pub. Services. ISBN 955599000X.

External links

• Works by or about Alexander Wood Renton at Internet Archive