Vincent Evans
Sir Vincent Evans QC | |
---|---|
Judge of the European Court of Human Rights in respect of the United Kingdom | |
In office 1980–1991 | |
Preceded by | Sir Gerald Fitzmaurice |
Succeeded by | Sir John Freeland |
Personal details | |
Born | 20 October 1915 London |
Died | 18 May 2007 | (aged 91)
Nationality | British |
Alma mater | Wadham College, Oxford |
Profession | Barrister |
Sir William Vincent John Evans
Early life
Evans was born in London and educated at Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood, and Wadham College, Oxford, where he obtained a First Class Honours degree in Jurisprudence in 1937 and a BCL on a Cassel Scholarship from Lincoln's Inn in 1938.[1][2] He was called to the Bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1939 but joined the Army that year on the outbreak of the Second World War, becoming a Lieutenant Colonel and being appointed MBE in 1945, and was appointed Legal Advisor to the British Administration in Cyrenaica, the eastern coastal region of Libya.[1][2]
Diplomatic career
Upon leaving the Army, he was appointed Assistant Legal Adviser to the
He left this post in 1959, at which time he was appointed Companion of the
He chaired the
Retirement
He retired from the Foreign Office in 1975 but remained involved in international legal affairs. He served as the UK's Representative to the
In 1980, he was elected the judge in respect of the United Kingdom at the then non-permanent European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, succeeding Sir Gerald Fitzmaurice, also a former Foreign Office lawyer and judge of the Permanent Court of Arbitration. He spent ten years at the Court, taking part in a number of significant judgements including Dudgeon v United Kingdom, and retired in 1991.
He was Vice-President of the British Institute of Human Rights from 1992 to 2004, a member of the Advisory Board of the Centre for International Human Rights Law at the University of Essex from 1983 to 1994, and a member of the Council of Management of the British Institute of International and Comparative Law from 1969 to 2005.[1]
Personal life
Evans married Joan Mary Symons in 1947, with whom he had a son and two daughters. He was a keen gardener and a member of the Athenæum.[1] He died on 18 May 2007.