Henry Spencer Berkeley

Sir Henry Spencer Berkeley
Sir Henry Berkeley KC, Chief Justice of Fiji and Attorney General of Hong Kong
Acting Attorney General of the Leeward Islands
In office 1877–1878
Monarch	Victoria
Governor	George Berkeley
7th Attorney General of Fiji
In office 1886–1889
Monarch	Victoria
Governor	Sir John Thurston (acting) Sir Charles Mitchell Sir John Thurston
Preceded by	Sir Fielding Clarke
Succeeded by	John Symonds Udal
4th Chief Judicial Commissioner for the Western Pacific
In office 1889–1902
Monarch	Victoria Edward VII
Chief Judicial Commissioner2	Sir John Thurston Sir George T. M. O'Brien Sir William Allardyce (acting)
Preceded by	Sir Fielding Clarke
Succeeded by	Sir Charles Major
6th Chief Justice of Fiji
In office 1889–1902
Monarch	Victoria Edward VII
Governor	Sir John Thurston Sir George T. M. O'Brien Sir William Allardyce (acting)
Preceded by	Sir Fielding Clarke
Succeeded by	Sir Charles Major
10th Attorney General of Hong Kong
In office 1902–1906
Monarch	Edward VII
Governor	Sir Henry Blake
Preceded by	Sir W. Meigh Goodman
Succeeded by	Sir William Rees Davies
Personal details
Born	6 September 1851 St Kitts
Died	30 September 1918(1918-09-30) (aged 67)
Nationality	British
Spouse(s)	Katherine Cassin m. 1878
Children	2 daughters, 1 son
Profession	Lawyer

Sir Henry Spencer Hardtman Berkeley (6 September 1851 – 30 September 1918), was a barrister, Attorney General and Chief Justice of Fiji and Attorney-General of Hong Kong.

Berkeley was the third son of Thomas Berkeley Hardtman Berkeley and Alice Hart Rawlins, of St. Kitts.

He was educated for the legal profession and called to the bar at the Inner Temple in June 1873.

In 1878, Berkeley married Katherine Cassin, daughter of F.S. Cassin of Antigua in the West Indies. They had three children: Katharine Margaret, Marjorie, and Maurice Anthony.

Berkeley was admitted to the bar of the Leeward Islands in July 1874. He filled various legal and official posts in the Leeward Islands. After acting as Attorney General in an interim capacity (1877-1878), he became Solicitor General from 1878 to 1883, when he became Acting Colonial Secretary.

In 1885, he was appointed Attorney General of Fiji in succession to Fielding Clarke who was appointed Chief Justice of Fiji and Chief Judicial Commissioner for the Western Pacific. As Attorney-General he acted as Chief Justice when Clarke was on leave. In 1889, he succeeded Clarke in both roles. He acted for a brief time as Governor of Fiji.

Berkeley was knighted in the Queen's Birthday Honours of 20 May 1896.

In what was seen as a slightly strange move from the bench back to the bar, in 1902, Berkeley accepted the position of Attorney-General for Hong Kong. In 1904, he was considered for the position of Chief Justice of Hong Kong on the retirement of W. Meigh Goodman. Francis Piggott was appointed instead. Berkeley acted as Chief Justice of Hong Kong on two occasions.