Richard Wilson Greene

Richard Wilson Greene PC, KC (1791–1861) was an Irish judge.

He was born in Dublin, the son of Sir Jonas Greene, Recorder of Dublin, and his wife Marianne Hitchcock. He graduated from the University of Dublin, where he was auditor of the College Historical Society. He was called to the Bar in 1814 and became King's Counsel in 1830.

As a young barrister he attended the hearing of R. v Waller O'Grady, a much publicised case of quo warranto concerning the power of patronage of the Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer, who sought to appoint his younger son to the office of Clerk of the Pleas in the Court of Exchequer. Greene co-wrote an account of the case which he published and which gained him some attention.^[1]

In 1831 he was the first person to be appointed to the new position of Law Adviser to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland,^[2] which ranked below the two senior law officers, but was nonetheless a very onerous Crown office. The choice of Greene was an interesting one since he was a political opponent of the Government of the day.^[3]

He became Solicitor-General for Ireland in 1842 and was Attorney-General for Ireland briefly in 1846. He was raised to the Bench as Baron of the Court of Exchequer (Ireland) in 1852 and served till shortly before his death in 1861. He married Elizabeth Wilson of Fulford, near York in 1819, and took her surname as well as his own.

He made his reputation as an advocate with an impressive closing speech for the Crown at the trial of Daniel O'Connell in 1844; according to Elrington Ball his appointment to the Bench was due to the personal regard which Lord Derby, the Prime Minister, had for him.^[4]

One of his sons was William, Dean of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin and one of his grandsons was Sir Conyngham, a diplomat.^[5] There was also a family connection to another eminent judge, Sir Samuel Walker, 1st Baronet, whose first wife was Greene's niece Cecilia. Another son, Richard junior, father of Sir Conyngham, followed his father to the Bar, but was better known in his own lifetime as a writer of children's books.

References

1. Greene, Richard Wilson Report of the proceedings...at the suit of the King v Walter O'Grady Dublin 1816
2. Casey, James The Irish Law Officers Round Hall Sweet and Maxwell 1996
3. Hart, A.R. T'he History of the King's Serjeants-at-law in Ireland Four Courts Press 2000
4. Ball, F. Elrington The Judges in Ireland 1221–1921 London, John Murray, 1926
5. Arthur Charles Fox-Davies. Armorial families : a directory of gentlemen of coat-armour p. 140