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

Biography

Somers was born in

Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...

in 1928, and was educated at Christ's College and the

University of Canterbury The University of Canterbury (UC; ; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was founded in 1873 as Canterbur ...

, where he gained a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws. In 1952, Somers became engaged to Mollie Louise Morison, and they later married and went on to have three children. 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 A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...

, 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 An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to Hearing (law), hear a Legal case, case upon appeal from a trial court or other ...

in 1981, a role from which he retired in 1990.Sir Edward Somers
. Bloody Sunday Trust. Retrieved 18 May 2013. In 1981, he was also appointed to the Privy Council. Somers was a part-time lecturer at the

from 1954 to 1974. In 1998, Somers was appointed by the British government to be a member of the

Bloody Sunday Inquiry The Bloody Sunday Inquiry, also known as the Saville Inquiry or the Saville Report after its chairman, Lord Saville of Newdigate, was established in 1998 by British Prime Minister Tony Blair after campaigns for a second inquiry by families of ...

. He resigned from that role for personal reasons in 2000. Somers died of cancer in Christchurch in 2002. His wife, Louise, Lady Somers, died in Christchurch in 2021.

Honours

In the 1989 Queen's Birthday Honours, Somers was appointed a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised Order of chivalry, orders of chivalry; it is a part of the Orders, decorations, and medals ...

. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws by the

in 1992.Honorary Graduates
University of Canterbury. Retrieved 18 May 2013.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Somers, Edward 1928 births 2002 deaths People educated at Christ's College, Christchurch University of Canterbury alumni Academic staff of the University of Canterbury 20th-century New Zealand judges New Zealand King's Counsel High Court of New Zealand judges Court of Appeal of New Zealand judges Members of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council New Zealand Knights Bachelor New Zealand members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Deaths from cancer in New Zealand University of Canterbury Faculty of Law alumni