Lauterpacht, Hersch (1897-1960)

Polish-born lawyer who settled in England and became an eminent figure in international law. As a member of the British War Crimes Executive 1945-46 he helped institute the Nuremberg Trials of Nazi war criminals. He later sat as a judge at the International Court of Justice 1955-60.

Lauterpacht was educated at the universities of Lvov (modern Lviv), Vienna, and London. He was appointed Whewell professor of international law at Cambridge in 1938. He became a KC in 1949, a bencher of Gray's Inn in 1955, and was elected a member of the Institute of International Law. In addition to serving on the UN International Law Commission 1951-55 and on the Permanent Court of Arbitration, he was also president of the Permanent French-Swedish Conciliation Commission. He was knighted in 1956.