John Inglis, Lord Glencorse
John Inglis, Lord Glencorse FRSE (21 August 1810 – 20 August 1891) was a Scottish politician and judge. He was Lord President of the Court of Session (1867–1891).[1]
Life
The youngest son of John Inglis, a Church of Scotland minister,[2] Inglis was born in August 1810 in Edinburgh, where he attended the Royal High School. From the University of Glasgow he went to Balliol College, Oxford. He was admitted a member of the Faculty of Advocates in 1835, and in 1852 he was made Solicitor General for Scotland in Lord Derby's first ministry, three months later becoming Lord Advocate, a post he held from May to December of that year. In the summer of 1857, he famously served as counsel for Madeleine Smith, a Glasgow socialite who was the defendant in a sensational murder trial.[3] Smith was freed with a verdict of "not proven".
In March 1858 he resumed this office in Lord Derby's second administration, being returned to the House of Commons as member for Stamford. Again his tenure was brief, leaving office in July 1858. He was responsible for the Universities (Scotland) Act 1858, and in the same year he was elevated to the bench as Lord Justice Clerk, with the judicial title Lord Glencorse. In 1867 he was made Lord Justice General of Scotland and Lord President of the Court of Session. He was made a Privy Counsellor in 1859, and awarded a Doctor of Civil Law by the University of Oxford in 1859.
Outside his judicial duties he was responsible for much useful public work, particularly in the department of higher education. In 1869 he was elected Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh against Gladstone, having already been Rector of the University of Aberdeen in 1857–1860 and Rector of the University of Glasgow in 1865.
He was President of Scottish Texts Society and published Historical Study of Law 1863.
He died in August 1891.[1] He is buried in his family vault in New Calton Cemetery.
Memorials
A bust of Lord Glencorse, sculpted by Charles McBride, is held by Edinburgh University.[4]
Notable cases
- In 1857 Inglis defended Madeleine Smith in a sensational murder trial.[1]
- In 1865 Inglis presided over the case of Edward William Pritchard, the last person to be publicly hanged in Glasgow.
References
- 1 2 3 John Inglis Lord Glencorse. University of Glasgow (see "summary" for birth/death dates)
- ↑ Waterston, Charles D; Macmillan Shearer, A (July 2006). Former Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 1783–2002: Biographical Index (PDF) I. Edinburgh: The Royal Society of Edinburgh. ISBN 978-0-902198-84-5. Retrieved 27 December 2010.
- ↑ James Crabb Watt, John Inglis, Lord Justice-General of Scotland: A Memoir (1893), p. 333.
- ↑ http://collections.ed.ac.uk/art/record/19531
- This article includes material drawn from Concise Dictionary of National Biography, 1939
External links
- Works by or about John Inglis, Lord Glencorse at Internet Archive
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by John Inglis
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir Frederic Thesiger Lord Robert Cecil |
Member of Parliament for Stamford March 1858 – July 1858 With: Lord Robert Cecil |
Succeeded by Lord Robert Cecil Sir Stafford Northcote, Bt. |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by George Deas |
Solicitor General for Scotland 1852 |
Succeeded by Charles Neaves |
| Preceded by Adam Anderson |
Lord Advocate May–December 1852 |
Succeeded by James Moncreiff |
| Preceded by James Moncreiff |
Lord Advocate March–July 1858 |
Succeeded by Charles Baillie |
| Preceded by John Hope |
Lord Justice Clerk 1858–1867 |
Succeeded by Lord Glenalmond |
| Preceded by Lord Colonsay |
Lord Justice General 1867–1891 |
Succeeded by Lord Robertson |
| Academic offices | ||
| Preceded by Unknown |
Rector of King's College, Aberdeen 1857 – ? |
Succeeded by Unknown |
| Preceded by Viscount Palmerston |
Rector of the University of Glasgow 1865–1868 |
Succeeded by Earl of Derby |
| Preceded by Baron Brougham and Vaux |
Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh 1868–1891 |
Succeeded by Arthur Balfour |