Edward Somers

Sir Edward Jonathan Somers (9 September 1928 – 3 June 2002) was a New Zealand jurist and member of the Privy Council.

Biography Somers was born in Christchurch in 1928, and was educated at Christ's College and the University of Canterbury, where he gained a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws. In 1981, he was also appointed to the Privy Council.

Somers was a part-time lecturer at the University of Canterbury from 1954 to 1974.

In 1998, Somers was appointed by the British government to be a member of the Bloody Sunday Inquiry. He resigned from that role for personal reasons in 2000.

Somers died of cancer in Christchurch in 2002. His wife, Louise, Lady Somers, died in Christchurch in 2021.

Honours In the 1989 Queen's Birthday Honours, Somers was appointed a Knight Bachelor. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws by the University of Canterbury in 1992.