Sir Stephen Brown
GBE,
PC (born ) is a British retired judge. He was a
Lord Justice of Appeal
A Lord Justice of Appeal or Lady Justice of Appeal is a judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, the court that hears appeals from the High Court of Justice, the Crown Court and other courts and tribunals. A Lord (or Lady) Justice ...
and the
President of the Family Division
The President of the Family Division is the head of the Family Division of the High Court of Justice in England and Wales and Head of Family Justice. The Family Division was created in 1971 when Admiralty and contentious probate cases were remov ...
of the
High Court of England and Wales
The High Court of Justice in London, known properly as His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Senior Courts of England and Wales. Its name is abbreviated as EWHC (England ...
.
Early life and education
Brown was born on 3 October 1924 to Wilfrid Brown and Nora Elizabeth Brown of
Longdon Green,
Staffordshire. He was educated at
Malvern College
Malvern College is an independent coeducational day and boarding school in Malvern, Worcestershire, England. It is a public school in the British sense of the term and is a member of the Rugby Group and of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' ...
[Children's Rights International Advisory Committee](_blank)
/ref> and Queens' College, Cambridge
Queens' College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Queens' is one of the oldest colleges of the university, founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou. The college spans the River Cam, c ...
.
Career
From 1943 to 1946 Brown served in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve
The Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) is one of the two volunteer reserve forces of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. Together with the Royal Marines Reserve, they form the Maritime Reserve. The present RNR was formed by merging the original Roy ...
as a lieutenant.
Brown became a barrister at 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 1949, became a bencher[Who's Who 2008] in 1974, and became Treasurer[Who's Who 2008] in 1994. He was Deputy Chairman of Staffordshire Quarter Sessions[Who's Who 2008] from 1963 to 971, and Recorder[Who's Who 2008] of West Bromwich from 1965 to 971. He was appointed Queen's Counsel
In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister or ...
in 1966. He was a Recorder, and Honorary Recorder of West Bromwich
West Bromwich ( ) is a market town in the borough of Sandwell, West Midlands, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is north-west of Birmingham. West Bromwich is part of the area known as the Black Country, in terms of geography ...
from 1972 to 1975, was a High Court judge, in the Family Division,[Who's Who 2008] from 1975 to 1977, and in the 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 ...
from 1977 to 1983, and was Presiding Judge of the Midland and Oxford Circuit from 1977 to 1981.
Brown became a Privy Counsellor
The Privy Council (PC), officially His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its membership mainly comprises senior politicians who are current or former members of ei ...
in 1983 and was appointed a Lord Justice of Appeal (1983–88) and, finally, President of the Family Division (1988–99) of the High Court of England and Wales. On 19 November 1992, he delivered the landmark ruling that doctors treating Tony Bland
Anthony David Bland (21 September 1970 – 3 March 1993) was a supporter of Liverpool F.C. injured in the Hillsborough disaster. He suffered severe brain damage that left him in a persistent vegetative state as a consequence of which the hospit ...
, who had been in a persistent vegetative state
A persistent vegetative state (PVS) or post-coma unresponsiveness (PCU) is a disorder of consciousness in which patients with severe brain damage are in a state of partial arousal rather than true awareness. After four weeks in a vegetative stat ...
since suffering serious brain damage
Neurotrauma, brain damage or brain injury (BI) is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells. Brain injuries occur due to a wide range of internal and external factors. In general, brain damage refers to significant, undiscriminating t ...
in the Hillsborough disaster
The Hillsborough disaster was a fatal Crowd collapses and crushes, human crush during a association football, football match at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, on 15 April 1989. It occurred during an FA Cup semi-fina ...
more than three years earlier, could withdraw food and treatment keeping him alive. Treatment was ultimately withdrawn on 22 February 1993, after the House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster ...
rejected an appeal by the Official Solicitor, and Mr Bland died on 3 March 1993.
He was a member of the Parole Board of England and Wales from 1967 to 71, of the Butler Committee on mentally abnormal offenders[Who's Who 2008] from 1972 to 1975, and of the Advisory Council on Penal System in 1977. He was chairman of the Advisory Committee on Conscientious Objectors[Press Office, University of the West of England](_blank)
Retrieved 10 January 2010 from 1971 to 1975. He was chairman of the Council of Malvern College
Malvern College is an independent coeducational day and boarding school in Malvern, Worcestershire, England. It is a public school in the British sense of the term and is a member of the Rugby Group and of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' ...
from 1976 to 1994.[Who's Who 2008]
As of 10 January 2009, he is also a member of the Advisory Committee of Children's Rights International. He has served as president of several organisations: Edgbaston High School, 1989–;[Who's Who 2008] Malvernian Society, 1998–.[Who's Who 2008]
Honours and decorations
Brown was knighted in 1975. Brown was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
in 1999.
He has received an honorary fellowship and several honorary degrees:
* Honorary Fellow: Queens' College, Cambridge
Queens' College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Queens' is one of the oldest colleges of the university, founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou. The college spans the River Cam, c ...
, 1984
* Honorary LLD: University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university located in Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingha ...
, 1985
* Honorary LLD: University of Leicester
, mottoeng = So that they may have life
, established =
, type = public research university
, endowment = £20.0 million
, budget = £326 million
, chancellor = David Willetts
, vice_chancellor = Nishan Canagarajah
, head_la ...
, 1997
* Honorary LLD, Honorary FRC Psychology: University of the West of England 2000.
Brown was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
in 1999.
Personal life
In 1951, Brown married Patricia Ann Good, daughter of Richard Good from Tenbury Wells
Tenbury Wells (locally Tenbury) is a market town and civil parish in the northwestern extremity of the Malvern Hills District of Worcestershire, England. Its northern border adjoins Shropshire, and at the 2011 census it had a population of 3,777. ...
, Worcestershire. They had twin sons and three daughters. They lived in Harborne
Harborne is an area of south-west Birmingham, England. It is one of the most affluent areas of the Midlands, southwest from Birmingham city centre. It is a Birmingham City Council ward in the formal district and in the parliamentary constitue ...
, Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...
until Patricia died in January 2020.Brown
/ref>
References
External links
*Who's Who 2009
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Stephen
1924 births
Living people
20th-century English judges
People educated at Malvern College
Alumni of Queens' College, Cambridge
Knights Bachelor
Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Family Division judges
Presidents of the Family Division
Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War II
Royal Navy officers of World War II