Martin Chapman (26 March 1846 – 17 March 1924) was a New Zealand barrister. The law firm founded by him in 1875 still exists as

Chapman Tripp Chapman Tripp is New Zealand's largest commercial law firm. It is considered one of the "big three" law firms along with Russell McVeagh and Bell Gully. Established in New Zealand in 1875, it now has around 60 partners and roughly 200 legal staff ...

. He also played

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officia ...

for

Otago Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government reg ...

Early life

Chapman was born in 1846 in the

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by m ...

suburb of

Karori Karori is a suburb located at the western edge of the urban area of Wellington, New Zealand, 4 km from the city centre and is one of New Zealand's most populous suburbs, with a population of in History Origins The name ''Karori'' use ...

, the third son of

Henry Samuel Chapman Henry Samuel Chapman (21 July 1803 – 27 December 1881) was an Australian and New Zealand judge, colonial secretary, attorney-general, journalist and politician. Early life Chapman was born at Kennington, London, the son of Henry Chapman, Engli ...

Frederick Chapman Fred, Frederic or Frederick Chapman may refer to: * Frederic Chapman (1823–1895), English publisher with Chapman & Hall * Frederick Chapman (British Army officer) (1815–1893), British Army officer and colonial official * Frederick Chapman (pal ...

was a younger brother. He received his education at the

Melbourne Grammar School (Pray and Work) , established = 1849 (on present site since 1858 - the celebrated date of foundation) , type = Independent, co-educational primary, single-sex boys secondary, day and boarding , denomination ...

and in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, and was called to the bar of the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and W ...

in 1871. As a young man, he was a keen sportsman and owned several yachts. He played three first-class matches for

between 1864 and 1868.

Professional career

Chapman returned to New Zealand in 1875 and started to practice on his own account. He was joined in 1882 by William Fitzgerald, a son of James FitzGerald. His partner died in June 1888, and Leonard Owen Howard Tripp joined as the new partner. The name of the firm changed several times due to amalgamations and changes in partners, but reverted to

in 1949, under which it is still known today. Chapman was amongst the first seven King's Counsel to be appointed in New Zealand in 1907. He retired in 1912.

Other activities and death

Chapman took over the editorship of the '' New Zealand Law Reports'' after Fitzgerald's death. Chapman was a

Wellington City Council Wellington City Council is a territorial authority in New Zealand, governing the country's capital city Wellington, and ''de facto'' second-largest city (if the commonly considered parts of Wellington, the Upper Hutt, Porirua, Lower Hutt and ...

lor (1888–1890) and a member of the council of the Wellington Law Society. He had an aptitude for languages and as a young man, he became proficient in French and German. He later learned Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese, and Dutch when he was at old age. He once gave as his reason for taking up Spanish because he planned to go on a trip to that country, and could not bear the thought of not being able to read the local newspapers. Chapman died at his home in Golder's Hill (since renamed to Eccleston Hill) in Thorndon on 17 March 1924 aged 78. The funeral service was held at

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglicanism, Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London ...

, after which he was cremated.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chapman, Martin 1846 births 1924 deaths Wellington City Councillors People educated at Melbourne Grammar School New Zealand King's Counsel Members of the Inner Temple New Zealand cricketers Otago cricketers

Early life

Professional career

Other activities and death

See also

References