Robert Bruce Burnside | |
|---|---|
| Justice of theSupreme Court ofWestern Australia | |
| In office 24 December 1902 – 8 August 1929 | |
| Preceded by | Frederick Moorhead |
| Succeeded by | John Dwyer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1862-04-22)22 April 1862 |
| Died | 8 August 1929(1929-08-08) (aged 67) Claremont,Western Australia, Australia |
Robert Bruce Burnside (22 April 1862 – 8 August 1929) was an Australian barrister and judge. He served on theSupreme Court of Western Australia from December 1902 until his death in August 1929.
Burnside was born inNassau, Bahamas, to Mary Elizabeth (née Francis) andBruce Lockhart Burnside. His father was the colony'ssolicitor-general at the time, and later served asChief Justice of Ceylon. His brother wasEdmund Burnside.
After attending theRoyal Naval School in London, Burnside studied law, training as a barrister. He enteredLincoln's Inn in 1881 and wascalled to the bar in 1884,[1] leaving for Western Australia later that year.
Burnside initially had his own firm inPerth, but later went into partnership withDouglas Gawler (a future member of parliament) inFremantle.[2] In January 1891, Burnside was appointed to the position ofUsher of the Black Rod in theLegislative Council.[3] He served until July 1894, when he was made crown solicitor (equivalent tosolicitor-general).[2]
In December 1902, Burnside was appointed to the vacant fourth position on the Supreme Court, as apuisne justice.[4] He succeededFrederick Moorhead, who had died after only seven months in office, and joinedEdward Stone (thechief justice),Stephen Henry Parker, andRobert McMillan on the bench.[5][6] 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 tworoyal commissions in the late 1910s.[2]
Burnside died at his home inClaremont in August 1929, after a brief period of ill health.[7] He had married Mary Charity Bruce in 1887, with whom he had one son, Dr. Bruce Burnside.[8] Outside of his professional career, he had a keen interest in water sport, serving as president of theWest Australian Rowing Club and commodore of theRoyal Perth Yacht Club.[2]
