James Beveridge Thomson

Sir James Beveridge Thomson (24 March 1902 – 31 March 1983), was a Scottish barrister who was the Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Malaysia. He was also Chief Justice of Fiji.

Life

Born in Clydebank, Scotland, he attended George Watson's College and graduated from the University of Edinburgh with first class honours in history.

He was called to the English Bar (Middle Temple) in 1929. He was a resident magistrate in Northern Rhodesia, appointed Puisne Judge, Fiji and Western Pacific, in 1945, and Puisne Judge in Malaya in 1947. He was Chief Justice of Fiji (and ex officio Chief Judicial Commissioner for the Western Pacific) 1949–1953, and Chief Justice of Tonga. He was called to the Scottish Bar in 1955.

From 1953, Thomson was back in Malaya, serving as a judge in the High Court in Ipoh, Perak, from 1953 to 1957. In 1957, he was appointed Chief Justice of Malaya, receiving a knighthood in 1959. After the formation of Malaysia in September 1963, Thomson served as its first Lord President of the Federal Court until May 1966. He was appointed a KBE in 1966.

Family life

He married Dr Florence Adams, MRCP (Eng.), LRCP (Lond.). After Sir James Thomson's knighthood in 1959, she was known as Toh Puan Datin Lady Florence Adams Thomson. She was a practising physician, working in Northern Rhodesia, where her husband was Resident Magistrate, and was Medical Officer in Fiji. During their time in Malaysia, she became chief nutritionist at the Institute of Medical Research in Kuala Lumpur, carrying out research and authoring a number of articles on child nutrition in Malaysia. When in Scotland, and after their retirement, they lived at Craig Gowan, Carrbridge, Badenoch and Strathspey, Highland region (formerly Inverness-shire).

Selected bibliography