Ernest Nys

Ernest Nys (1851-1920), a Belgian lawyer and celebrated scholar, studied under Bluntschli and Heffter, was admitted to the bar in Antwerp in 1877, became head of office at the Ministry of Justice in 1878, entered the judiciary as a judge at the Court of First Instance at Antwerp and was later appointed judge at the Brussels Court of First Instance, becoming Vice President of the court in 1898, and finally a counsellor at the Brussels Court of Appeal in 1903 and President of Chamber at this...See more

Ernest Nys (1851-1920), a Belgian lawyer and celebrated scholar, studied under Bluntschli and Heffter, was admitted to the bar in Antwerp in 1877, became head of office at the Ministry of Justice in 1878, entered the judiciary as a judge at the Court of First Instance at Antwerp and was later appointed judge at the Brussels Court of First Instance, becoming Vice President of the court in 1898, and finally a counsellor at the Brussels Court of Appeal in 1903 and President of Chamber at this court in 1920, only months before his death. Alongside his judicial duties, he pursued a professional career at the Université Libre de Bruxelles between 1885 and 1920, holding numerous positions of note, including President of the Law Faculty (1898-1900). His interest in international law began to bear fruit with his first publication in 1879: The Papacy Considered in Relation to International Law. He had a strong connection to England, spending much time in the library at the British Museum. He translated James Lorimer's Principles of International Law (1885) and John Westlake's Studies in International Law (1895) into French, and was awarded honorary doctorates from the universities at Edinburgh, Glasgow and Oxford. Paul Errera, speaking of Nys, wrote the following lines: "The extreme modesty of his life, which never knew worldly vanities, allowed only a few friends to approach him and fully appreciate him as a man... his heart was equal to his intelligence, which is no small thing to be said of him." See less