Michael Nolan, Baron Nolan
Lord of Appeal in Ordinary | |
---|---|
In office 1994–1998 | |
Appointed by | Elizabeth II |
Personal details | |
Born | Michael Patrick Nolan 10 September 1928 |
Died | 22 January 2007 |
Nationality | British |
Spouse | Margaret Noyes |
Children | 5 |
Alma mater | Wadham College, Oxford (MA) |
Occupation | Judge |
Profession | Barrister |
Michael Patrick Nolan, Baron Nolan,
Early and private life
Nolan was the son of James Nolan, a solicitor, and his wife, Jane Nolan. His father's family had left County Kerry in the mid-19th century.[citation needed] Lord Nolan cited his parents as "the first and foremost influences on my life". The Nolan family lived in Bexhill-on-Sea. He, his elder brother, James "Jim" Nolan (died 2001) and his nephews, James, Rossa and Luke, all attended Ampleforth College.
After two years of national service in the Royal Artillery, from 1947 to 1949, he read law at Wadham College, Oxford, where he was awarded an honorary fellowship in 1992. His contemporaries at Oxford included Patrick Mayhew and Stephen Tumim, both of whom became close friends.
He married Margaret Noyes, whom he met at Oxford, in 1953; she was the younger daughter of the poet Alfred Noyes. They had one son and four daughters. They kept a second home on the Côte d'Azur.
Legal career
Nolan was called to the
He was a
He was promoted to the
He sat with the
After just over two years in the Court of Appeal, he was promoted to the
He retired as a law lord in 1998.
Committee on Standards in Public Life
Lord Nolan chaired the Committee on Standards in Public Life from 1994 to 1997. The Committee was set up in late 1994 by John Major's government after the cash-for-questions affair, and has conducted numerous other inquiries. Its first report in 1995 created waves by recommending full disclosure of MPs' outside interests. He also produced a report in standards of conduct in local government in July 1997.
The principles embodied and articulated in the first report have since become embedded in public life in Britain, and are often referred to
Later life
Nolan continued to serve in a public role in his retirement.
In 2000, at the request of
Outside of the law, he was also Chancellor of the
In retirement, Lord Nolan suffered from an unspecified degenerative disease, dying in 2007 at age 78. He was survived by his wife, their son and four daughters, and twelve grandchildren.
Honours
Commonwealth honours
- Commonwealth honours
Country | Date | Appointment | Post-nominal letters |
---|---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 1968 – 2007 | Queen's Counsel |
QC |
United Kingdom | 1982 – 2007 | Knight Bachelor | Kt |
United Kingdom | 1991 – 2007 | Member of Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council |
PC |
United Kingdom | Deputy Lieutenant of the County of Kent | DL |
Scholastic
- Chancellor, visitor, governor, rector and fellowships
Location | Date | School | Position |
---|---|---|---|
England | 1992 – 2007 | Wadham College, Oxford | Honorary Fellowship |
England | 1997 – 2002 | University of Essex | Chancellor |
- Honorary degrees
Location | Date | School | Degree | Gave Commencement Address |
---|---|---|---|---|
England | 19 July 1996 | University of Surrey | Doctor of the University (D.Univ)[4] |
Yes |
Arms
|
Notes
- ^ "No. 53547". The London Gazette. 14 January 1994. p. 553.
- ^ Public Appointments Code of Practice
- ^ "University of Essex Calendar". Archived from the original on 7 October 2012.
- ^ "Honorary Graduates". University of Surrey. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
- ^ Debrett's Peerage. 1985. p. 1193.
References
- Obituary, The Times, 25 January 2007
- Obituary[dead link], The Daily Telegraph, 25 January 2007
- Obituary, The Guardian, 26 January 2007
- Obituary, The Independent, 26 January 2007