Sir Robert Samuel Wright (20 January 1839 – 13 August 1904) was a 19th-century

Justice In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes (Justinian), Inst ...

of the British High Court,

Queen's Bench Division The King's Bench Division (or Queen's Bench Division when the monarch is female) of the High Court of Justice deals with a wide range of common law cases and has supervisory responsibility over certain lower courts. It hears appeals on point ...

Life and career

Wright was born at the

rectory A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of a given religion, serving as both a home and a base for the occupant's ministry. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, p ...

in Litton, Somerset, the son of the Rev H. E. Wright and his wife, who was the daughter of a clergyman.Glazebrook, P. R.
"Wright, Sir Robert Samuel (1839–1904)"
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, May 2006, retrieved 21 June 2015 The son showed no inclination to follow an ecclesiastical calling."Death Of Mr. Justice Wright", ''The Times'', 15 August 1904, p. 2 He matriculated as a commoner at

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1263 by nobleman John I de Balliol, it has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford and the English-speaking world. With a governing body of a master and aro ...

at the unusually early age of seventeen. He became one the favourite pupils of the Master of the college,

Benjamin Jowett Benjamin Jowett (, modern variant ; 15 April 1817 – 1 October 1893) was an English writer and classical scholar. Additionally, he was an administrative reformer in the University of Oxford, theologian, Anglican cleric, and translator of Plato ...

, and was later a close and lifelong friend. He won several prestigious prizes and graduated with first class honours in 1860. He was elected as a fellow of

Oriel College, Oxford Oriel College () is Colleges of the University of Oxford, a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title for ...

, and for the next few years divided his time between academic work and studying for the legal profession. He was

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

by 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 association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

in June 1865."Wright, Sir Robert Samuel"
''Who Was Who'', Oxford University Press, 2014 retrieved 21 June 2015 As a young lawyer, Wright made a mark with well-received publications on legal topics including the laws of conspiracy, possession, local government and taxation. His practice as a

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...

flourished, and in 1883 he was appointed Junior Counsel to the Treasury, in succession to A. L. Smith. Wright prosecuted in that year's Fenian dynamite trials. He also appeared for the petitioner in the Dilke divorce case of 1886. The Junior Counsel to the Treasury was often described as "the

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

's devil", and one of the Attorneys General whom he served commented, "Wright has the whole law of England at his fingers' ends". In this, Wright was at first assisted by his own junior,

H. H. Asquith Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith (12 September 1852 – 15 February 1928) was a British statesman and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 to 1916. He was the last ...

, whose legal and political career took off with his appointment by Wright. In 1870, Wright was asked by the

Colonial Office The Colonial Office was a government department of the Kingdom of Great Britain and later of the United Kingdom, first created in 1768 from the Southern Department to deal with colonial affairs in North America (particularly the Thirteen Colo ...

to draft a criminal code for Jamaica which could be used as a model criminal code for other colonies. Although ultimately not adopted in Jamaica, it was adopted in several other British colonies, and came to be highly regarded. Holding strong Liberal views, Wright stood unsuccessfully for Parliament in 1884 and 1886. His liberal views may have been an impedance to his later judicial career. Holders of the post of Junior Counsel to the Treasury were traditionally elevated from the post straight to the judicial bench, without becoming a

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 ...

. In 1890, on the death of Baron Huddleston Wright was appointed as a judge of the Queen's Bench. He initially declined the

knighthood A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

that customarily went with the appointment, but later accepted it. Among Wright's important judgments was that in the case of '' Wilkinson v. Downton'' (1897), and his views played an important part in ''

Allen v Flood ''Allen v Flood'' 898AC 1 is a leading case in English tort law and UK labour law on intentionally inflicted economic loss. Facts A trade union official told an employer his members would not work alongside the claimants. The employer was pres ...

'' 898 Despite his legal talents he was not appointed to the Court of Appeal; the obituarist in ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' speculated that this may have been due to his politics at a time when a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

Lord Chancellor The Lord Chancellor, formally titled Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom. The lord chancellor is the minister of justice for England and Wales and the highest-ra ...

controlled judicial appointments. Wright married in 1891. His wife Mabel Emily, ''née'' Chermside, was the daughter of a clergyman. There were two sons of the marriage; one died in infancy and the other, Sir Michael Wright, became a senior diplomat. Wright died at his country house, Headley Park,

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

at the age of 65.

Books

Wright wrote or co-wrote a number of books on legal matters and classic literature, which included:"Robert Samuel Wright"
Barnes and Noble, retrieved 24 August 2009] * ''The Genius of

Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer ( ; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for '' The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He ...

: A Prize Essay'' (1861) - (reprinted in Paperback, 2009) * ''The Golden Treasury of Ancient Greek poetry'' (1867) * ''The Law of Criminal Conspiracies and Agreements'' (1887) (co-author: Hampton Lawrence Carson) *'' An Essay on Possession in the

Common law Common law (also known as judicial precedent, judge-made law, or case law) is the body of law primarily developed through judicial decisions rather than statutes. Although common law may incorporate certain statutes, it is largely based on prece ...

'' (1888) (co-author: Sir Frederick Pollock)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Robert Samuel 19th-century English judges 1839 births 1904 deaths Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Knights Bachelor Members of the Inner Temple Queen's Bench Division judges