John Westlake (law scholar)

John Westlake
Profile portrait of John Westlake by Marianne Stokes, 1902
Born	4 February 1828 Lostwithiel, Cornwall, UK
Died	14 April 1913 (1913-04-15) (aged 85) London
Nationality	British
Education	Trinity College, Cambridge
Occupation(s)	Academic lawyer and writer
Employer	University of Cambridge
Known for	Work in public international law
Title	Whewell Professor of International Law
Predecessor	Sir Henry Maine
Successor	Lassa Francis Lawrence Oppenheim
Spouse	Alice Hare

John Westlake (4 February 1828 – 14 April 1913) was an English law scholar and social reformer. He founded the first journal devoted to international law, Revue de Droit International et de Legislation Comparle. Westlake was renowned for his influence in the realm of legal practice, particularly in addressing the complexities of disputes between individuals residing in distinct legal jurisdictions, a field commonly referred to as private international law or conflict of laws.

Biography

He was born at Lostwithiel, Cornwall, the son of a Cornish wool-stapler. He was educated at Lostwithiel and, from 1846, at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he graduated BA (6th Wrangler and 6th Classic) in 1850. He was a fellow of Trinity from 1851 to 1860, called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1854, and became a bencher of the Inn in 1874. In 1885 he was elected to Parliament as Liberal member for the Romford Division of Essex; from 1888 to 1908 he held the Whewell Chair as professor of international law at Cambridge; in 1900-06 he was a member for Great Britain of the International Court of Arbitration at The Hague.

In 1864 he married Alice Hare (1842–1923), artist and key supporter of the women's suffrage movement.

He was connected with the Christian Socialist Movement, being a member of the Committee of Teaching and Publication. He is considered to be one of the founders of the Working Men's College in 1854, where he taught mathematics for many years. He was an honorary president of the Institute of International Law.

Westlake's grave

Works

His works, of the highest importance in their field, include:

• A Treatise on Private International Law (1st ed.). London: W. Maxwell. 1858. Retrieved 3 July 2018 – via Internet Archive.; Second edition, rewritten, 1880; fifth edition, 1912.
• Chapters on the Principles of International Law. Cambridge: At the University Press. 1894. Retrieved 3 July 2018 – via Internet Archive.
• International Law Part I - Peace (1st ed.). Cambridge: At the University Press. 1904. Retrieved 3 July 2018 – via Internet Archive.; International Law Part II- War (1st ed.). Cambridge: At the University Press. 1907. Retrieved 3 July 2018 – via Internet Archive.; International Law Part I - Peace (2nd ed.). Cambridge: At the University Press. 1910. Retrieved 3 July 2018 – via Internet Archive.; International Law Part II- War (2nd ed.). Cambridge: At the University Press. 1913. Retrieved 3 July 2018 – via Internet Archive..
• Westlake, John (1911). "International Law (Private)" . In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 14 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 701–705.
• His Collected Papers on Public International Law were edited by L. Oppenheim in 1914.
• The Transvaal war: a lecture delivered in the University of Cambridge on 9th November, 1899 (2nd ed.), London: C. J. Clay and sons, 1899, Wikidata Q105802083

See also

• Gustave Rolin-Jaequemyns

References

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Gilman, D. C.; Peck, H. T.; Colby, F. M., eds. (1905). New International Encyclopedia (1st ed.). New York: Dodd, Mead. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

External links

• Memories of John Westlake. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1914. Retrieved 15 February 2019 – via Internet Archive.
• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by John Westlake
• Works by or about John Westlake at the Internet Archive
• Painting(s) by or after John Westlake at the Art UK site
• Portraits of John Westlake at the National Portrait Gallery, London