Sir James Peter Quilliam (23 March 1920 – 17 February 2004) was a New Zealand lawyer and jurist. He served as Chief Justice of the Cook Islands and a judge of the High Court of New Zealand.
Early life and family
Born in New Plymouth on 23 March 1920, Quilliam was educated at Wanganui Collegiate School. He went on to study at Canterbury University College from 1938 to 1940, and Victoria University College from 1941 to 1943, graduating from the latter with an LLB degree in 1943. He saw military service as a lieutenant with the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force in Fiji between 1942 and 1943.
In 1945, Quilliam married Ellison Jean Gill, and the couple went on to have three children.
Legal career
Quilliam was admitted as a barrister and solicitor in 1944, and practised law in New Plymouth. Between 1955 and 1969, he was the New Plymouth Crown solicitor.
Between 1969 and 1988, Quilliam served as a judge of the High Court (known as the Supreme Court at the time of his appointment). In the 1988 New Year Honours, he was appointed a Knight Bachelor. Quilliam became the inaugural head of New Zealand's Police Complaints Authority (now the Independent Police Conduct Authority) in 1989, and served in that capacity until 1992.
In 1988, Quilliam became a judge of the Cook Islands High Court and Court of Appeal, and Chief Justice of the Cook Islands in 1995. He was also appointed a judge of the Court of Appeal of Fiji in 1992.
References
- ^ Taylor, Alister, ed. (2001). New Zealand Who's Who Aotearoa 2001. Auckland: Alister Taylor Publishers. p. 729. ISSN 1172-9813.
- ^ "Sir Peter Quilliam (LLB '43) 1920 - 2004" (PDF). V.Alum. July 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 October 2008. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
- "No. 51173". The London Gazette (3rd supplement). 31 December 1987. p. 33.
   | This New Zealand law-related biographical article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |
 | This Cook Islands biographical article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |
- 1920 births
- 2004 deaths
- Chief justices of the Cook Islands
- New Zealand judges on the courts of the Cook Islands
- New Zealand judges on the courts of Fiji
- New Zealand Knights Bachelor
- High Court of New Zealand judges
- Victoria University of Wellington alumni
- University of Canterbury alumni
- People from New Plymouth
- People educated at Whanganui Collegiate School
- New Zealand military personnel of World War II
- New Zealand law biography stubs
- Cook Island people stubs