Valentine Fleming

Who was Valentine Fleming?

Sir Valentine Fleming was a Chief Justice of Tasmania.

Fleming was born in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, England, the second son of Captain Valentine Fleming of Tuam, County Galway and his wife Catherine, a daughter of John Hunter Gowan II. Fleming was educated at Bangor and Trinity College, Dublin, graduating with honours in 1834. He was called to the bar at Gray's Inn on 21 January 1838.

In 1841 Fleming was appointed commissioner of insolvent debtors, Hobart, Tasmania. He became solicitor-general in 1844, attorney-general in 1848, an official member of the Tasmanian Legislative Council in 1851 and chief justice of the Supreme Court of Tasmania in 1854. He was knighted in 1856 and retired on a pension of £1000 a year at the end of 1869 but was acting chief justice from 1872 to 1874. From March to May 1874 administered the government. He died near Reigate, England on 25 October 1884. He married twice: once to Elizabeth Oke, daughter of Charles Buckland, and second to Fanny Maria, daughter of William Seccombe, who survived him.