Hugh Holmes facts for kids

Hugh Holmes QC (born 17 February 1840 – died 19 April 1916) was an important Irish lawyer and judge. He was also a Member of Parliament (MP) in the United Kingdom for a time. He started his political career with the Conservative Party and later became a Unionist.

Early Life and Education

Hugh Holmes was born in a town called Dungannon in County Tyrone, Ireland. His parents were William Holmes and Anne Maxwell. He went to school at the Royal School Dungannon and then studied at Trinity College Dublin. After finishing his studies, he became a lawyer in England in 1864 and in Ireland in 1865.

A Career in Law and Politics

Holmes became a Queen's Counsel (QC) in 1877. This title means he was a very senior and respected lawyer.

He held important legal jobs in the government:

• He was the Solicitor General for Ireland from 1878 to 1880. This role means he was a top legal advisor to the government.
• He was the Attorney General for Ireland from 1885 to 1886, and again from 1886 to 1887. This is an even more senior legal position, like the chief lawyer for the government.

In 1885, he became a member of the Privy Council of Ireland. This was a group of important advisors to the monarch.

From 1885 to 1887, Hugh Holmes was an MP for Dublin University. As an MP, he helped make laws in the UK Parliament.

Becoming a Judge

In 1887, Hugh Holmes stopped being an MP and became a judge. He first served as a Justice in the Common Pleas Division of the High Court of Justice in Ireland. In 1888, he moved to the Queen's Bench Division.

He was promoted again in 1897 to become a Lord Justice of Appeal. This meant he was one of the most senior judges in the country. He retired in 1914 because of poor health.

Hugh Holmes as a Judge

Hugh Holmes was known for being a very serious judge. He sometimes gave out tough sentences in criminal cases. There's a famous story about him telling an old prisoner, who said he couldn't do a 15-year sentence, to "Do as much of it as you can." This story shows his quick wit.

Even though he was strict, his judgments also showed good humor and understanding. The sentences he announced in court were sometimes less severe in practice.

His legal decisions were considered very high quality. Many people believe that Holmes, along with two other judges named Christopher Palles and Gerald FitzGibbon, made the Irish Court of Appeal one of the strongest courts in Irish history. When he retired, the court lost a lot of its legal knowledge.

One of his famous sayings was that the Irish "have too much of a sense of humour to dance around a maypole". His decision in a case called The SS Gairloch is still an important guide in Irish law. It helps explain when a higher court can change facts decided by a lower court.

Family Life

In 1869, Hugh Holmes married Olivia Moule. She was the daughter of J.W. Moule and Jane Harvie. Olivia passed away in 1901. Her sister, Elizabeth, married another important Irish judge, John Monroe.

Hugh and Olivia had seven children. Some of their children also became very successful:

• Hugh junior
• Sir Valentine Holmes QC (1888-1956) was a successful lawyer, just like his father. He was an expert on the law of libel (false statements that harm someone's reputation).
• Violet (died 1966) married Sir Denis Henry, 1st Baronet, who was the first chief judge of Northern Ireland.
• Elizabeth married Harold Lawson Murphy, who was a politician and wrote a well-known book about Trinity College Dublin.
• Alice (died 1942) married Edward Sullivan Murphy, who was also a politician and judge in Northern Ireland.