Jonathan Christian

Jonathan Christian QC, PC (17 February 1808, Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary – 29 October 1887, Dublin), was an Irish judge. He served as Solicitor-General for Ireland from 1856 to 1858. He was a judge of the Court of Common Pleas (Ireland) from 1858 to 1867 when he was appointed Lord Justice of Appeal in Chancery. On the creation of the new Irish Court of Appeal in 1878 he served briefly on the Court but retired after a few months.

Christian was considered one of the best Irish lawyers of his time but as a judge regularly courted controversy. His bitter and sarcastic temper and open contempt for most of his colleagues led to frequent clashes both in Court and in the Press. Though he was rebuked several times by the House of Commons, no serious thought seems to have been given to removing him from office.

He was born in Carrick-on-Suir, third son of George Christian, solicitor and his wife Margaret Cormack. He was educated at the University of Dublin, entered Gray's Inn in 1831 and was called to the Irish Bar in 1834. He married Mary Thomas in 1859 and had four sons and four daughters. He lived at Ravenswell, Bray, County Wicklow.

His early years at the Bar were not successful, and he admitted to being near despair at times. His practice lay in the Court of Chancery (Ireland) : Chancery procedures then were extremely complex and he found them at first almost unintelligible. Gradually he mastered the intricacies of Chancery practice, became a leader of the Bar, and took silk in 1841. It was said that his expertise left the Lord Chancellor quite unable to argue with him.

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