Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-11-25
Sir Alexander C0ckburn.
DEATH or THE LORD CHIEF JUSTICE or THE
QUEENS BENCH.

DEATH OF TIE LORD CHIEF JIHIltb W THE
QUEENS BENCH.
LONDON, November Z zl.-Sir Alexander
Cock 1urn, Lord Chief Justice OF the
Queens Bench, died suddenly at twelve
o'clock last night. lie had heard II case
at Westminster during the day. He
walked home, ate a dinner. and, appar-
emily well, retired at ll.30, when he
was seized with pain over the heart
and died almost instantly. lie devel
oped symptoms OF fatty degeneration OF
the heart about eighteen months ago
but apparently recovered. He had an
| attack OF angina pectoris at spa dur
ing the past summer, and fortnight
ago, on his return home, had "A similar
attack, but the symptoms passed away
lie resumed his official duties and ex.
cept for shortness OF breath seemed
fairly well up to the hour of his death.
The Right Hon. Sir Alexander James
Edmund Cockburn, Bart, q. &. b., &C.
cupied for number OF years a promi-
nent place at the English bar for the
past four and twenty years he has been
a conspicuous figure upon the English
bench. The son of Mr.. Alexander
Cock burn, sometime British Minister in
Columbia, he was born in 1902; was
graduated from Trinity Hall, Cambridge
in 1929 /; was called TO the bar at the
Middle Temple, and in lS4l was made Il
q. {. He was fortunate enough to ob
tain a large share OF the Parliamentary
practice incident to the railway manIU
that led TO the projection OF countless
conflicting lines and in lSI7 he was
himself elected TO ParliAment--being
returned in the advanced Liberal inter.
est for Southampton. He did not take
very prominent position as Il speaker
until his memorable defense OF Lord
Palmerston's foreign policy in 1850, one
OF the most eloquent and successful
speeches ever delivered in the House OF
Commons. Soon after this he was made
Solicitor General, and became Attorney
General in March, lsjl-holdlng Office
until the dissolution OF Lord John Rus
sells Ministry in the spring Of 1852. On
the formation of the Coalition CabI.
net he was again made Attorney Gen.
eral, holding the office for two years
and filling 1t with signal ability. In
1876 he was raised to the bench, as
Chef Justice OF England. Two years
earlier he had succeeded to the baro.
netcy Of his uncle, the Rev. Sir VII.
liam Cockburn, Dean of York. Since
his elevation 10 the bench his most
noteworthy acts have been his famous
charge to the grand jury in the case OF
General Nelson and Lieutenant Brand,
prosecuted by the Jamaica Defense
Committee mastery utterance con.
tanning most elaborate exposition OF
martial law and OF the manner in which
it has been applied in various periods Of
our history his management f the
interests Of Great Britain as British
arbiter upon the board appointed under
the provisions Of the Treaty of Wash.
inGton TO settle the Alabama claims
and as President Judge during the pro
tracted trial known to lawyers as THE
Queen W. Castro and TO the public Is
the TIchborne case'-hl. charge to
the jury in this extraordlny case, pub.
lished under his own editorial supervi.
sion, constituting his single contrIbu.
ton to the literature of the law.