Joseph Horsford Kemp

Sir Joseph Horsford Hemp CBE KC was a British lawyer and judge. He served as Attorney General and Chief Justice of Hong Kong in the early to mid 20th Century.

Kemp was born in Drogheda, Ireland on 23 December 1874.

He was educated at the High School, Dublin, Ireland, and Cape University, South Africa. He commenced studying for a Bachelor of Laws at London University. However, in 1898 he sat for an Eastern cadetship.

In 1898 he went to Hong Kong as a cadet in Hong Kong Service of the Colonial Office having scored the highest marks in the competitive examinations.

In 1904, Kemp was appointed Registrar of the Land Court in Hong Kong and in 1904 Registrar of the Supreme Court of Hong Kong.

He was called to the bar of Lincoln's Inn in 1911 and became Crown Solicitor in Hong Kong.

In 1913, he was appointed puisne Judge of the Supreme Court of Hong Kong. Two years later, in 1915 he was appointed Attorney General of Hong Kong a position he held until 1930. In this position he was also a member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council. He was appointed a King's Counsel in 1918. He was made a CBE, in the same year.