George Phillippo

Sir George Phillippo was Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Hong Kong in the late 1800s. He often attended the Legislative Council of Hong Kong sittings from around 1884 to 1888.He was born in Spanish Town, St Catherine’s, Jamaica in 1833, the son of Rev. James Mursell Phillippo and Hannah Elizabeth Cecil.

Education and legal practice

Phillippo went to school in England, trained as a barrister and was called to the Bar in 1862. He did not practice law in England at that time, but returned to Jamaica where he married Mary Clark, the daughter of Rev. John Clark, a colleague of his father in 1862. Mary’s sister Hannah was married to George’s brother James. Later in 1862 George was called to the Jamaican Bar and, although he did practice law in Jamaica, within a few years he began an illustrious career with the British government and took up appointments in many parts of the world. His wife Mary died April 16, 1890. Later in 1890 he married Eliza Hughes, daughter of Thomas Hughes while in London.

He retired from Colonial Service as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Hong Kong on October 5, 1888. In 1897 he was appointed as the British High Consul in Geneva, Switzerland. After he retired from public life in 1910 he decided to remain in Geneva and it was there he died on February 16, 1914.

Some highlights of his career:
* Barrister-at-Law, Inner Temple, 1862
* Admitted to the Jamaica Bar, 1862
* Queen's Advocate, Sierra Leone 1868
* Commissioner then Attorney-General of British Columbia, 1870 [ [http://aabc.bc.ca/access/aabc/archbc/display/BCA-2085 Display - British Columbia Archival Union List (BCAUL)] ]
* Member of the Legislative Council of the Colony of British Columbia, 1871
* Puisne Judge, British Guiana, 1872
* Puisne Judge of Straits Settlements 1874-76
* Attorney General of Hong Kong 1876-9
* Chief Justice of Gibraltar 1879-82
* Knighted 1882
* Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Hong Kong 1882-1888
* Has Perak medal
* Retired from the Colonial Foreign Service October 5, 1888
* Returned to private law practice 1888-1897
* Appointed Her Majesty’s Consul at Geneva 1897;
* Retired from public life 1910

References

# The Times
# The London Gazette
# The Jamaica Gleaner
# Burke’s Peerage, 1906
# Minutes of the Vancouver Island Legislative Council, 1871
# Minutes of the Hong Kong and Territories Legislative Council 1882-88
# Family stories