Kenneth Macdonald Beaumont
| Kenneth Macdonald Beaumont | |
|---|---|
| Born | 10 February 1884 Blackheath, London |
| Died |
24 April 1965 (aged 81) London |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | Arts |
| Alma mater | Oxford University |
| Employer | British Army, IATA, ICAO |
| Known for | Development of international aviation law & Philately |
Major Kenneth Macdonald Beaumont CBE DSO (10 February 1884 – 24 April 1965) was a British lawyer, Air Service Corps officer, and figure skater. He made a major contribution to the development of international aviation law.
Beaumont was born in Blackheath, London. He served in the Army Service Corps in the First World War, reaching the rank of Major and being awarded the Distinguished Service Order in 1918 for his services during the capture of Jerusalem.
His family motto was: "Cartun pete finem" (Seek a sure end).
After becoming a joint partner in 1911 of the London-based legal practice, Beaumont and Son, (originally formed as a family practice by his grandfather in 1836) Major Beaumont turned the practice's focus to aviation law following an Imperial Airways accident in 1924. He was one of the three original legal advisers on the (International Air Transport Association (IATA) although it was then called the International Air Traffic Association) Legal Committee and served in this capacity from 1925 to 1946. In the early part of his career at the IATA he was responsible for drafting the terms and conditions for passenger tickets, baggage checks and consignment notes for cargo. In 1929 Major Beaumont attended, as an observer on behalf of the IATA, a conference in Warsaw at which the Warsaw Convention for the unification of certain rules relating to international carriage by air was drafted. He was instrumental in persuading the conference members not to schedule to the Convention standard forms of tickets, baggage checks and consignment notes.
Major Beaumont was elected Chairman of the C.I.T.E.J.A. (Comité International Technique d'Experts Juridiques Aérien) – soon to become the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in 1946, of which he was also elected chairman whilst serving as its UK representative. The terms of his engagement were expressed by Lord Nathan thus:
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