James Whiteside

James Whiteside (12 August 1804 – 25 November 1876) was an Irish politician and judge.

James Whiteside
Statue of James Whiteside by Albert Bruce-Joy in St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin.
Lord Chief Justice of Ireland
In office
1866–1876
MonarchQueen Victoria
Prime MinisterEarl of Derby
Benjamin Disraeli
Attorney-General for Ireland
In office
1858–1859
Solicitor-General for Ireland
In office
1850–1852
University of Dublin
In office
1859–1866
Enniskillen
In office
1851–1859
Preceded byHon. Henry Arthur Cole
Succeeded byHon. John Lowry Cole
Personal details
Born12 August 1804
Died25 November 1876 (1876-11-26) (aged 72)
Political partyIrish Conservative Party
Spouse(s)Rosetta Napier
Alma materTrinity College, Dublin

Background and education

Whiteside was born at Delgany, County Wicklow, the son of William Whiteside, a clergyman of the Church of Ireland. His father was transferred to the parish of Rathmines, but died when his son was only two, leaving his widow in straitened circumstances. She is said to have schooled her son personally in his early years. He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, entered the Middle Temple, and was called to the Irish bar in 1830.

Whiteside very rapidly acquired a large practice, and after taking silk in 1842 he gained a reputation for forensic oratory surpassing that of all his contemporaries, and rivalling that of his most famous predecessors of the 18th century. He defended Daniel O'Connell in the state trial of 1843, and William Smith O'Brien in 1848; and his greatest triumph was in the Yelverton case in 1861. He was elected member for Enniskillen in 1851, and in 1859 became member for Dublin University. In Parliament, he was no less successful as a speaker than at the bar, and in 1852 was appointed Solicitor-General for Ireland in the first administration of the Earl of Derby, becoming Attorney-General for Ireland in 1858, and again in 1866. In the same year he was appointed Lord Chief Justice of the Queen's Bench, having previously turned down offers of a junior judgeship. In 1848, after a visit to Italy, he published Italy in the Nineteenth Century;[1] and in 1870 he collected and republished some papers contributed many years before to periodicals, under the title Early Sketches of Eminent Persons.

Personal life

In July 1833 Whiteside married Rosetta, daughter of William and Rosetta Napier, and sister of Sir Joseph Napier, Lord Chancellor of Ireland. He died on 25 November 1876 in Brighton, Sussex.

He was universally well liked, being noted for charm, erudition and a sense of humour. Barristers who practiced before him said that his charm, courtesy and constant flow of jokes made appearing in his Court a delightful experience.

Like his brother-in-law Joseph Napier he was devoted to the Church of Ireland, and strongly opposed its disestablishment.

References

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Hon. Henry Arthur Cole
Member of Parliament for Enniskillen
1851–1859
Succeeded by
Hon. John Lowry Cole
Preceded by
George Alexander Hamilton
Anthony Lefroy
Member of Parliament for Dublin University
1859–1866
With: Anthony Lefroy
Succeeded by
John Edward Walsh
Anthony Lefroy
Legal offices
Preceded by
Henry George Hughes
Solicitor-General for Ireland
1850–1852
Succeeded by
William Keogh
Preceded by
John David Fitzgerald
Attorney-General for Ireland
1858–1859
Succeeded by
John David Fitzgerald
Preceded by
Thomas Langlois Lefroy
Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench for Ireland
1866–1876
Succeeded by
George Augustus Chichester May
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