John Keating (judge)

John Keating (c. 1630–1691) was an Irish judge of the late seventeenth century, who held office as Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas. He had a reputation for integrity, impartiality and benevolence, but due to his loyalty to King James II he was dismissed from office after the Revolution of 1688, and later committed suicide.

He was born in Dublin, the second son of Edmund Keating and Elizabeth (or Eleanor) Eustace of Harristown, County Kildare; his mother was a sister of Sir Maurice Eustace, later Lord Chancellor of Ireland. Keating, like his uncle Maurice, combined his membership of the Church of Ireland with a notable tolerance in religious matters, which led to claims in later life that he was himself secretly a Roman Catholic.

He graduated from the University of Dublin in 1655 and entered Lincoln's Inn in 1657: it was said that his knowledge of the law was deficient compared to that of his fellow students. In 1661 he returned to Ireland and became Deputy Clerk to the Irish House of Commons. This job involved a great deal of travel between Dublin and London, and Keatiing displayed impressive energy in performing his duties, on one occasion completing the return journey in twelve days in the depth of winter.

He entered the King's Inns in 1663 and quickly gained a reputation as a gifted barrister. His uncle the Lord Chancellor recommended him to James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde, the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, whose friendship was then the usual path to judicial office. Keating was content for the time being with the minor position of Attorney General to the Duke of York; he admitted that he could not afford financially to give up his practice at the Irish Bar, and said in addition that he did not wish to arouse the envy of his older colleagues.

...
Wikipedia