Thomas Blantyre Simpson (27 July 1892 – 18 October 1954) was a Scottish advocate and sheriff.

Life

He was born at 8 Bruntsfield Crescent in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

the son of Sir Robert Russell Simpson (1840-1923) and his wife, Helen Dymock Raleigh. He was educated at

Edinburgh Academy The Edinburgh Academy is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, private day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, which was opened in 1824. The original building, on Henderson Row in Stockbridge, Edinburgh, Stockbridge, is now part of the Senior Scho ...

(1900 to 1911) then studied law at

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

. In the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

he was commissioned into the

Royal Scots The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment), once known as the Royal Regiment of Foot, was the oldest and most senior infantry regiment line infantry, of the line of the British Army, having been raised in 1633 during the reign of Charles I of England ...

, rising to the rank of captain. He completed his Law studies after the war and qualified as an advocate in 1921. He was Treasurer of the

Faculty of Advocates The Faculty of Advocates () is an independent body of lawyers who have been admitted to practise as advocates before the courts of Scotland, especially the Court of Session and the High Court of Justiciary. The Faculty of Advocates is a const ...

1937 to 1954. In 1944, he became

King'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 ...

and on the coronation of Queen Elizabeth was

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 1952 he was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was establis ...

. His proposers were

Thomas Cooper, 1st Baron Cooper of Culross Thomas Mackay Cooper, 1st Baron Cooper of Culross (24 September 1892 – 15 July 1956) was a Scotland, Scottish Unionist Party (Scotland), Unionist Party politician, a judge and a historian, who had been appointed Lord Advocate of Scotland. Ba ...

, David King Murray, Lord Birnam,

John Cameron, Lord Cameron John Cameron, Lord Cameron, Order of the Thistle, KT, Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom), DSC, PRSE, Fellow of the British Academy, FBA (8 February 1900 – 30 May 1996) was a Scottish judge and President of the Royal Society of Edinb ...

and

Douglas Guthrie Douglas James Guthrie (8 September 1885 – 8 June 1975) was a Scottish medical doctor, otolaryngologist and historian of medicine. After graduating in Medicine from Edinburgh University, he pursued postgraduate studies into diseases of ear, ...

. He was Sheriff variously of

Caithness Caithness (; ; ) is a Shires of Scotland, historic county, registration county and Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area of Scotland. There are two towns, being Wick, Caithness, Wick, which was the county town, and Thurso. The count ...

, Sutherland,

Orkney Orkney (), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The plural name the Orkneys is also sometimes used, but locals now consider it outdated. Part of the Northern Isles along with Shetland, ...

and finally Perth and Angus. He died on 18 October 1954, aged 62, whilst still in office. He was unmarried and had no children.

Publications

*''The Wagering Club and the Memory of Bain Whyt'' (1951)

Family

His great uncle was

James Young Simpson Sir James Young Simpson, 1st Baronet (7 June 1811 – 6 May 1870) was a Scottish obstetrician and a significant figure in the history of medicine. He was the first physician to demonstrate the anaesthetic properties of chloroform in humans and ...

. His maternal great uncle was Samuel Raleigh an eminent accountant.Seekers of Truth: The Founders of Modern Public Accountancy by Gary Previts His paternal uncle was

Alexander Russell Simpson Sir Alexander Russell Simpson FRCPE FRSE LLD (20 April 1835 – 6 April 1916) was a Scottish physician and Professor of Midwifery at the University of Edinburgh. He invented the Obstetrical forceps, axis-traction forceps also known as the ob ...

and his cousins were

and

George Freeland Barbour Simpson George Freeland Barbour Simpson FRSE FRCPE FRCSE JP (21 September 1874 – 8 April 1958) was a 20th-century Scottish physician and gynaecologist. In 1913 he served as President of the Obstetrical Society of Edinburgh. Life He was born on 21 ...

References

1892 births 1954 deaths Lawyers from Edinburgh People educated at Edinburgh Academy Alumni of the University of Oxford Members of the Faculty of Advocates Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 20th-century King's Counsel British Army personnel of World War I Scottish sheriffs Royal Scots officers {{Scotland-law-bio-stub