Name Gordon Bisson | Died November 14, 2010 | |
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Born 23 November 1918
Napier, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand ( 1918-11-23 ) Spouse(s) Myra Patricia (Lady) Bisson nee Kemp | ||
Sir Gordon Ellis Bisson (23 November 1918 – 14 November 2010) was a New Zealand Court of Appeal judge and a member of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom.
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Early life and education
Bisson was born to Clarence Henry Bisson and Ada Bisson (née Ellis) in 1918 in Napier. Educated at Napier Boys' High School, he graduated from Victoria University College, Wellington with a Bachelor of Laws in 1941. Bisson served with the RNZNVR during World War II from 1940 to 1945 aboard the HMNZS Leander in the Pacific, HMS Warspite at Normandy and the Second Front, and was Mentioned in Despatches. He then served aboard the HMS Nelson at sea on the Staff of Admiral Walker Commanding the Third Battle Squadron in the Far East and was promoted to Lieutenant Commander. He was later married in 1948 to Myra Patricia Kemp. The couple went on to have three daughters.
Legal career
Bisson began his legal career with Bisson Moss, the firm established in 1920 by his father. In 1961 he was appointed Crown Solicitor, Napier, and in 1976 was appointed Judge-Courts Martial Appeal Court. Then In 1978 he was appointed a Judge of the Supreme (then High) Court.
In 1986 he was elevated to the Court of Appeal and sat there until he retired at age 72 in 1990. In 1987, he was appointed a Privy Counsellor and he sat on the Board in 1989.
As a retired New Zealand Court of Appeal judge, Bisson served on the Samoan Court of Appeal from 1994 until 2005 for which he was awarded the Companion of the Order of Samoa. He was also a member of the Court of Appeal of Kiribati from 1999 until 2001.