Sir James Fitzjames Stephen was an English lawyer, judge, writer and philosopher who lived from 3 March 1829 to 11 March 1894. He served as a judge of the High Court from 1879 to 1891 and earlier held office as legal member of the Council of India, where he drafted the Indian Evidence Act of 1872, standardizing rules of evidence across India's many communities and religions. He attempted to codify English criminal law, and although his own bill was not enacted in England, it became the basis for the criminal codes later adopted by Canada, Australia and New Zealand. He was also one of the most prominent Victorian critics of John Stuart Mill, attacking what he called Mill's sentimental liberalism and arguing that the law had a legitimate role in enforcing morality and social order.
Facts
RoleLawyer, judge, writer, and philosopher 1 Nationality / Jurisdiction Place of Death Classification
Field of Law Role
Role (category) Role (category) FAQs
Did James Fitzjames Stephen's criminal code influence Canada?
Canada's 1892 Criminal Code still bore the basic character of Stephen's 1878 draft code.
Yes. His own criminal code bill was not enacted in England, but the legal historian Martin Friedland describes Canada's Criminal Code of 1892 as still bearing the basic character of Stephen's draft code of 1878. In that sense a draft that failed at home shaped the criminal law of another country.
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1. James Fitzjames Stephen (Wikipedia)
WikipediaFull article, gender
His father, the drafter of the Slavery Abolition Act 1833, was Permanent Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies and Regius Professor of Modern History at Cambridge.
Introduction
Sir James Fitzjames Stephen, 1st Baronet, KCSI (3 March 1829 - 11 March 1894) was an English lawyer, judge, writer, and philosopher.
Full article, field of law
In 1863 he published his General View of the Criminal Law of England, the first attempt made since William Blackstone to explain the principles of English law and justice in a literary form, and it enjoyed considerable success.
In Legal System: English Law, Wikipedia lead sentence
was an English lawyer
Member Of: King's Bench Division, Article text
When that division was merged into the Queen's Bench Division in 1881, Stephen was transferred to the latter, where he remained until his retirement.
View the Source 2. Wikidata: James Fitzjames Stephen
Wikidata Q680631, P569 date of birth claim (year)
P569 (date of birth): 1829
Wikidata Q680631, P569 date of birth claim (full date)
P569 (date of birth): 1829-03-03
Wikidata Q680631, P570 date of death claim (year)
P570 (date of death): 1894
Wikidata Q680631, P570 date of death claim (full date)
P570 (date of death): 1894-03-11
Wikidata Q680631, P19 place of birth claim
P19 (place of birth): Kensington
Wikidata Q680631, P20 place of death claim
P20 (place of death): Ipswich
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