Thomas Phinn, QC ( – 31 October 1866) was a British

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 ...

and

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

politician. He held various positions in the Admiralty of the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century.

Life

Born in

Bath, Somerset Bath (Received Pronunciation, RP: , ) is a city in Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman Baths (Bath), Roman-built baths. At the 2021 census, the population was 94,092. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, Bristol, River A ...

, Phinn was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

and

Exeter College, Oxford Exeter College (in full: The Rector and Scholars of Exeter College in the University of Oxford) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, and the fourth-oldest college of the university. The college was founde ...

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

, being called in 1840. He was elected at the 1852 general election as Member of Parliament for

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

, but held that seat for only three years, until 1855. He was appointed

Counsel A counsel or a counsellor at law is a person who gives advice and deals with various issues, particularly in legal matters. It is a title often used interchangeably with the title of ''lawyer''. The word ''counsel'' can also mean advice given ...

to the Admiralty and Judge Advocate of the Fleet on 17 April 1854,'Counsel 1673–1870'
''Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 4: Admiralty Officials 1660–1870'' (1975), pp. 78. and continued in that office until appointed

Second Secretary to the Admiralty The Permanent Secretary of the Admiralty was the permanent secretary at the British Admiralty, Admiralty, the department of state in Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and subsequently the United Kingdom responsible for the administration of ...

on 22 May 1855, He was made 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 1857. a post which required his

resignation Resignation is the formal act of relinquishing or vacating one's office or position. A resignation can occur when a person holding a position gained by election or appointment steps down, but leaving a position upon the expiration of a term, or ...

from the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

. He resigned from the Admiralty on 7 May 1857, but was re-appointed Counsel and Judge-Advocate on 12 November 1863, and held that post until his death on 31 October 1866, in London.

References

Footnotes

Bibliography

* C. I. Hamilton, ed., "Selections from the Phinn Committee of Inquiry of October–November 1853 into the State of the Office of Secretary to the Admiralty", in ''The Naval Miscellany'', volume V, edited by

N. A. M. Rodger Nicholas Andrew Martin Rodger, FSA, FRHistS, FBA (born 12 November 1949) is an English historian who is currently senior research fellow of All Souls College, Oxford. Life and academia The son of Lieutenant Commander Ian Alexander Rodger, Ro ...

, (London:

Navy Records Society The Navy Records Society was established in 1893 as a scholarly text publication society to publish historical documents relating to the history of the Royal Navy. Professor Sir John Knox Laughton and Admiral Sir Cyprian Bridge were the key lea ...

, London, 1984).

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Phinn, Thomas 1810s births 1866 deaths Alumni of Exeter College, Oxford Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Members of the Inner Temple People educated at Eton College People from Bath, Somerset Permanent Secretaries to the Admiralty Politics of Bath, Somerset UK MPs 1852–1857 English King's Counsel English barristers