Manfred Lachs (21 April 1914 – 14 January 1993) was a Polish diplomat and jurist who served as a

Judge of the International Court of Justice The first and second lists are of all the permanent judges of the International Court of Justice, the main judicial organ of the United Nations, first chronologically and then by seat. The third list is a list of judges appointed ''ad hoc'' by a p ...

and greatly influenced the development of

international law International law, also known as public international law and the law of nations, is the set of Rule of law, rules, norms, Customary law, legal customs and standards that State (polity), states and other actors feel an obligation to, and generall ...

after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Life

Lachs was born to a Jewish family. Lachs attended the

Jagiellonian University The Jagiellonian University (, UJ) is a public research university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1364 by Casimir III the Great, King Casimir III the Great, it is the oldest university in Poland and one of the List of oldest universities in con ...

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

where he earned a doctorate in Laws (1937). Right after his studies, he started working for the Consular Academy of

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

and afterwards in the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

. Lachs was drafted in the army and throughout his military service he was advisor to the Polish government. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Lachs escaped to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, and served as secretary to

Ignacy Schwarzbart Ignacy Izaak Schwarzbart (13 November 1888 in Chrzanów – 26 April 1961 in New York City) was a prominent Polish Zionist, and one of Jewish representatives on the Polish National Council of the Polish Government-in-Exile during the Second World ...

, who was one of the two

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

representatives on the National Council of the

Polish government-in-exile The Polish government-in-exile, officially known as the Government of the Republic of Poland in exile (), was the government in exile of Poland formed in the aftermath of the Invasion of Poland of September 1939, and the subsequent Occupation ...

. Lachs' family, which remained in Poland, were murdered in

the Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

. Lachs was devoted towards ensuring the prosecution of the perpetrators of the Holocaust and of crimes in Poland. Before his career turned toward international law, he filled many judiciary posts in the Polish government such as Poland's Foreign Affairs director of the Department of treaties and legal jurisdiction (1947–1960) and prime minister's special advisor (1960–1967). He was the first Chair of the Legal Subcommittee of the UN Committee for the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (1959–1967). During negotiations over the Paris Peace Treaties of 1947, Lachs stood for his country as a delegate. He later became a professor of international law at the

University of Warsaw The University of Warsaw (, ) is a public university, public research university in Warsaw, Poland. Established on November 19, 1816, it is the largest institution of higher learning in the country, offering 37 different fields of study as well ...

(1952–1993), and served as a member of the Polish delegation of the general assembly of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

. It is said that Lachs' legal brilliance is what insulated him from anti-Semitic purges in Poland. Afterwards, Lachs became a judge on the

International Court of Justice The International Court of Justice (ICJ; , CIJ), or colloquially the World Court, is the only international court that Adjudication, adjudicates general disputes between nations, and gives advisory opinions on International law, internation ...

, and eventually became one of the longest-serving judges there, working from 1967 until 1993, and presiding it from 1973 to 1976. He wrote ''The Law of Outer Space: An Experience in Contemporary Law Making'' in 1972, and the ''Teacher in International Law'' in 1982. The

International Institute of Social Studies The International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) of Erasmus University Rotterdam is an independent international graduate school of policy-oriented social science. ISS was established in 1952 by Dutch universities and the Netherlands Mini ...

(ISS) awarded its Honorary Fellowship 1982. Member Honoris Causa of The Mexican Academy of International Law. Father to

Malgosia Fitzmaurice Malgosia A. Fitzmaurice (born 20 July 1955 as Małgorzata Lachs) is a Polish lawyer who is professor of public international law at Queen Mary University of London. She is an international lawyer with a specialist interest in marine environmental ...

Manfred Lachs Moot Court Competition

After his death, the Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Competition was named in his honour by the

International Institute of Space Law The International Astronautical Federation (IAF) is an international space advocacy organization based in Paris, and founded in 1951 as a non-governmental organization to establish a dialogue between scientists around the world and to lay t ...

References

* *
Profile at The International Institute of Social Studies
(ISS)

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lachs, Manfred 1914 births 1993 deaths Jews from Galicia (Eastern Europe) Polish diplomats Alumni of the London School of Economics International law scholars Diplomats from Ivano-Frankivsk Presidents of the International Court of Justice 20th-century Polish judges Polish judges of United Nations courts and tribunals 20th-century Polish Jews International Court of Justice judges Recipients of the Medal of the 10th Anniversary of the People's Republic of Poland