Philip James Macdonell

Sir Philip James Macdonell
25th Chief Justice of Ceylon
In office 3 October 1931 – 1936
Preceded by	Stanley Fisher
Succeeded by	Sidney Abrahams
Personal details
Born	(1873-01-10)10 January 1873
Died	15 December 1940(1940-12-15) (aged 67)

Sir Phillip James Macdonell (10 January 1873 – 15 December 1940) was the 25th Chief Justice of Ceylon. He was appointed in 1930 succeeding Stanley Fisher and was Chief Justice until 1936. He was succeeded by Sidney Abrahams.

Career

Macdonell was a scholar at Brasenose College, Oxford, was Bacon Scholar at Gray's Inn in 1896, and was called to the Bar there in January 1900.

He was

• war correspondent for "The Times", 1900–1901;
• Judge of the High Court, Northern Rhodesia, 1918–1927;
• President of the West Indian Court of Appeal, Chief Justice of Trinidad and Tobago 1927–30
• Chief Justice of Ceylon, 1930–36; Privy Councillor, 1939
• Knighted, 1925;
• Retired, 1936.
• President of the Balovale Commission (Northern Rhodesia, 1939–41).

He died in Southport in 1940 and was buried in Girthon Old Churchyard, Kirkcudbrightshire. He had married Alexandrina Sutherland Campbell.