Robert Francis Vere Heuston, QC (Hon.), FBA (17 November 1923 – 21 December 1995), sometimes given as R. F. V. Heuston, was an Irish legal scholar and legal historian. He is best known for his ''Lives of the Lord Chancellors''. Heuston was born in Dublin, the eldest son of Vere Douglas Heuston, general manager of the Guinness Brewery, and of Dorothy Helen Heuston, ''née'' Coulter. He was related to the Irish nationalist Robert Emmet. He was educated at St Columba's College, Dublin and Trinity College Dublin, where he read Law and obtained first-class honours. He was also auditor of the College Historical Society. Heuston was called to the Irish Bar by

King's Inns The Honorable Society of King's Inns ( ir, Cumann Onórach Óstaí an Rí) is the "Inn of Court" for the Bar of Ireland. Established in 1541, King's Inns is Ireland's oldest school of law and one of Ireland's significant historical environment ...

in 1947, but decided to pursue an academic career. He joined

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corpo ...

as a research student, but soon left Cambridge, upon his election as the first law fellow of

Pembroke College, Oxford Pembroke College, a constituent college of the University of Oxford, is located at Pembroke Square, Oxford. The college was founded in 1624 by King James I of England, using in part the endowment of merchant Thomas Tesdale, and was named after ...

in 1947, where he remained until 1965, when he joined the University of Southampton as a Professor of Law. He was Gresham Professor of Law between 1964 and 1970 and Regius Professor of Laws at Trinity College Dublin between 1970 and 1983.

Works

Heuston published works on constitutional law (''Essays in Constitutional Law'', 1961) and torts (''Salmond and Heuston on the Law of Torts''). However, he is best known for his ''Lives of the Lord Chancellors, 1885-40'' and ''Lives of the Lord Chancellors: 1940-1970'', containing biographies of Lord Chancellors from Lord Halsbury to Lord Gardiner.

Honours

Heuston was elected an honorary fellow of Pembroke College, Cambridge in 1982, honorary bencher of King's Inns in 1983, honorary bencher of Gray's Inn in 1988, and a Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy in 1993. He was appointed an honorary Queen's Counsel in 1995.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heuston, Robert 1923 births 1995 deaths Honorary King's Counsel 20th-century King's Counsel Corresponding Fellows of the British Academy Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Members of the King's Inns Irish barristers Members of Gray's Inn Fellows of Pembroke College, Oxford Academics of the University of Southampton Fellows of Jesus College, Cambridge Professors of Gresham College Academic staff of the University of Melbourne Academic staff of the University of British Columbia Legal historians Alumni of King's Inns Irish emigrants to the United Kingdom