Joseph Horsford Kemp

Sir Joseph Kemp
Sir Joseph Kemp
Secretary for Justice of Hong Kong
	In office; 1914–1930
Preceded by	John Alexander Strachey Bucknill
Succeeded by	C. Grenville Alabaster
Chief Justice of Hong Kong
	In office; 1930–1934
Preceded by	Henry Gollan
Succeeded by	Atholl MacGregor
Personal details
Born	December 23, 1874; Drogheda, Ireland
Died	September 16, 1950 (aged 75); Sutton, London, UK
Nationality	United Kingdom

Sir Joseph Horsford Kemp CBE KC (1874-1950) was a British lawyer and judge. He served as Attorney General and Chief Justice of Hong Kong in the early 1930s.

Early life

Kemp was born in Drogheda, Ireland on 23 December 1874.

He was educated at the High School, Dublin, Ireland, and Cape University, South Africa.[1] He commenced studying for a Bachelor of Laws at London University.

In 1898, he sat for an Eastern cadetship and the same year he went to Hong Kong as a cadet in Hong Kong Service of the Colonial Office, having scored the highest marks in the competitive examinations.[2]

Legal appointments

In 1904, Kemp was appointed Registrar of the Land Court in Hong Kong and in 1904 Registrar of the Supreme Court of Hong Kong. He was called to the bar of Lincoln's Inn in 1911 and became Crown Solicitor in Hong Kong. In 1913, he was appointed a puisne judge of the Supreme Court of Hong Kong. Two years later, in 1915 he was appointed Attorney General of Hong Kong a position he held until 1930. In this position he was also a member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council.[3]

He was appointed a King's Counsel in 1918.[4] He was made a CBE, in the same year.[5]

Kemp was knighted in 1927.[6]

In 1930, he was appointed Chief Justice of Hong Kong replacing Sir Henry Gollan.

In his capacity as Chief Justice of Hong Kong, he also sat as a member of the Full Court of the British Supreme Court for China in Shanghai.[7]

Retirement

Kemp retired to England in 1933. On his retirement, he was granted an honorary Doctor of Laws by the University of Hong Kong[8]

He died on 13 September 1950 at his home in Sutton, Surrey.[9]

External links

There is a picture of Kemp in his judicial wig and gown at: http://gwulo.com/node/14733

References

Kemp's obituary. Law Journal, 1950, p529
S Airlie, Scottish Mandarin: The Life and Times of Sir Reginald Johnson, pp13-15
Kemp's obituary. Law Journal, 1950, p529
London Gazette, 24 September 1918, p11942
Supplement to the London Gazette, 15 March 1918, p3287
Legislative Council Record, 15 February 1927.
see, for example, Shanghai Evening Post, 11 March 1933 where he sat with Sir Peter Grain and Mr (later Sir) Allan Mossop
http://www4.hku.hk/hongrads/index.php/archive/graduate_detail/65
Corona: The Journal of HIs Majesty's Colonial Service, Vol 2, Page 421

Legal offices
Preceded by John Alexander Strachey Bucknill	Attorney General of Hong Kong 1915–1930	Succeeded by C. Grenville Alabaster
Preceded by Sir Henry Gollan	Chief Justice of Hong Kong 1930–1934	Succeeded by Sir Atholl MacGregor

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[1] Kemp's obituary. Law Journal, 1950, p529

[2] S Airlie, Scottish Mandarin: The Life and Times of Sir Reginald Johnson, pp13-15

[3] Kemp's obituary. Law Journal, 1950, p529

[4] London Gazette, 24 September 1918, p11942

[5] Supplement to the London Gazette, 15 March 1918, p3287

[6] Legislative Council Record, 15 February 1927.

[7] see, for example, Shanghai Evening Post, 11 March 1933 where he sat with Sir Peter Grain and Mr (later Sir) Allan Mossop

[8] ttp://www4.hku.hk/hongrads/index.php/archive/graduate_detail/65

[9] Corona: The Journal of HIs Majesty's Colonial Service, Vol 2, Page 421