John Westlake (4 February 1828 â 14 April 1913) was an English law scholar and social reformer. He co-founded the first journal devoted to international law, Revue de Droit International et de Legislation Comparée. Westlake was renowned for his influence in the realm of legal practice, particularly in addressing the complexities of disputes between individuals residing in distinct legal jurisdictions, a field commonly referred to as private international law or conflict of laws.
He was born at Lostwithiel, Cornwall, the son of a Cornish wool-stapler. He was educated at Lostwithiel and, from 1846, at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he graduated BA (6th Wrangler and 6th Classic) in 1850. He was a fellow of Trinity from 1851 to 1860, called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1854, and became a bencher of the Inn in 1874. In 1885 he was elected to Parliament as Liberal member for the Romford Division of Essex; from 1888 to 1908 he held the Whewell Chair as professor of international law at Cambridge; in 1900-06 he was a member for Great Britain of the International Court of Arbitration at The Hague.
In 1864 he married Alice Hare (1842âÂÂ1923), artist and key supporter of the women's suffrage movement.
He was connected with the Christian Socialist Movement, being a member of the Committee of Teaching and Publication. He is considered to be one of the founders of the Working Men's College in 1854, where he taught mathematics for many years. He was an honorary president of the Institute of International Law.
In 1884, he authored the book Proportional Representation: A Practical Proposal, in which he outlined how the existing system of Cumulative Voting used to elect the London school board could be modified by the addition of a form of party-list proportional representation.
He served as a Liberal Member of Parliament from 1885 to 1886. He held the esteemed position of Whewell Professor of International Law at the University of Cambridge from 1888 to 1908. Westlake's advocacy extended to various social reforms, notably including the advancement of women's suffrage and active involvement in efforts to restore the constitution of Finland from 1899 to 1900.
His works, of the highest importance in their field, include: