Robert Bruce Burnside, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death
TweetRobert Bruce Burnside
(1862-1929) judge
Date of Birth: 22-Apr-1862
Place of Birth: Nassau, New Providence, Bahamas
Date of Death: 08-Aug-1929
Zodiac Sign: Taurus 
About Robert Bruce Burnside
- Robert Bruce Burnside (22 April 1862 – 8 August 1929) was an Australian barrister and judge.
- He served on the Supreme Court of Western Australia from December 1902 until his death. Burnside was born in Nassau, Bahamas, to Mary Elizabeth (née Francis) and Robert Bruce Lockhart Burnside.
- His father was the colony's solicitor-general at the time, and later served as Chief Justice of Ceylon.
- After attending the Royal Naval School in London, Burnside studied law, training as a barrister.
- He entered Lincoln's Inn in 1881 and was called to the bar in 1884, leaving for Western Australia later that year.
- He initially had his own firm in Perth, but later went into partnership with Douglas Gawler (a future member of parliament) in Fremantle.
- In January 1891, Burnside was appointed to the position of Usher of the Black Rod in the Legislative Council.
- He served until July 1894, when he was instead made crown solicitor (equivalent to solicitor-general).In December 1902, Burnside was appointed to the vacant fourth position on the Supreme Court, as a puisne justice.
- He succeeded Frederick Moorhead, who had died after only seven months in office, and joined Edward Stone (the chief justice), Stephen Henry Parker, and Robert McMillan on the bench.
- Early in 1903, Burnside was made president of the State Court of Arbitration, a position which at the time was held only by justices of the Supreme Court.
- He served several terms in the position, totalling almost ten years, and was generally considered impartial.
- Burnside also occasionally presided over criminal trials, and headed two royal commissions in the late 1910s.
- Burnside died at his home in Claremont in August 1929, after a brief period of ill health.
- He had married Mary Charity Bruce in 1887, with whom he had one son.
- Outside of his professional career, he had a keen interest in water sport, serving as president of the West Australian Rowing Club and commodore of the Royal Perth Yacht Club.
Read more at Wikipedia