Maurice Heenan

Maurice Heenan
Attorney General of Hong Kong
In office 1961–1966
Preceded by	Arthur Ridehalgh
Succeeded by	Sir Denys Tudor Emil Roberts
Personal details
Born	October 8, 1912(1912-10-08) New Zealand
Died	September 26, 2000(2000-09-26) United States of America
Alma mater	University of Canterbury

Maurice Heenan was born in Wyndham, Southland, New Zealand on October 8, 1912. His mother was Ann Frame (died 1976) and his father was David Donnoghue Heenan (died 1942). Maurice attended Canterbury College in New Zealand from 1937–1946 and received his LLB from Canterbury College, University of New Zealand in 1946. In 1944, he was selected to attend Staff College, Camberley in the UK where he was awarded the Staff College Award.

It was in London, England where he met his future wife, who was attending a summer course for foreign students at Oxford and was one of the first students that the Czechoslovakian government permitted to attend a foreign college after the war. In 1951, he married Claire Gabriela Stephanie daughter of Emil Ciho (died 1975) and Irene Rotbauer (died 1950) of Trencin, Bratislava, Czechoslovakia. Maurice was a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of New Zealand from 1937 through 1940. In 1945 he was a major in the 2nd NZEF and saw active service in the Western Desert, Libya, Cyrenaica and Italy being mentioned in dispatches.

From 1946-1949 he was Crown Counsel for the Palestine Mandate in Jerusalem. In 1952 he became Solicitor General of Hong Kong and then served as His Majesty’s Attorney General of Hong Kong from 1961 through 1966. In 1966 he became the Deputy Director of the General Legal Division (United Nations Office of Legal Affairs), Offices of the Secretary General, United Nations, New York and remained in that post until 1973. In 1973 he became General Counsel for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestinian Refugees in Beirut, Lebanon and retired to his home in New Canaan, Connecticut in 1977.

He was a member of the American Society of International Law and the Barrister & Solicitor, Supreme Court of New Zealand. He was awarded Queen’s Counsel (Q.C.) in 1962 and in 1966 he was inducted into the Order of St. Michael and St. George (C.M.G.) at Buckingham Palace in London.

He was a member of the Hong Kong Club and the Country Club of New Canaan. He is survived by his wife Claire, his daughters Ingrid Heenan Hammond and Karen Heenan Pujol, and his grandchildren Ogden, Ingrid, John, Katharine and Alexa.

References

Debrett’s Distinguished People of Today. Edited by David Williamson & Patricia Ellis. Debrette’s Peerage Ltd.: 1988, Page 497

• Who’s Who U.K.–An Annual Biographical Dictionary published annually since 1849. A & C Black: London, England, 2000, Page 928.
• Debrett’s Distinguished People of Today. Edited by David Williamson & Patricia Ellis. Debrette’s Peerage Ltd.: 1988, Page 497
• Encyclopedia of New Zealand 1966 http://www.teara.govt.nz/1966/E/ExpatriatesBiographies/UnitedKingdom/en. Site visited 2 August 2009.
• Who is Who in the United Nations and Related Agencies. Arno Press/A New York Times Company: New York, U.S., 1975, Page 247
• Debrett’s Handbook. Editor Suzanne Duke, Dawn Henderson, Antonia Gaisford-St. Lawrence. *Debrette’s Peerage Ltd.: London, England, 1984, Page 904
• Who is Who in the United Nations and Related Agencies. Arno Press/A New York Times Company: New York, U.S., 1975, Page 247
• http://www.gazettes-online.co.uk/issues/43854/supplements/1 visited 2 August 2009.
• Debrett’s Handbook. Editor Suzanne Duke, Dawn Henderson, Antonia Gaisford-St. Lawrence. Debrette’s Peerage Ltd.: London, England, 1984, Page 904

Legal offices
Preceded by Sir Arthur Ridehalgh	Attorney General of Hong Kong 1962 – 1966	Succeeded by Sir Denys Roberts

Persondata
Name	Heenan, Maurice
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	October 8, 1912
Place of birth	New Zealand
Date of death	September 26, 2000
Place of death	United States of America