William Atherton

Who was William Atherton?

Sir William Atherton, was a Scottish lawyer.

Atherton was born at Glasgow in 1806, being the son of the Rev. William Atherton, a well-known Wesleyan preacher, by Margaret, daughter of the Rev. Walter Morison, a minister of the Established Church of Scotland. He was educated in England, adopted the legal profession, and practised from 1832 to 1839 as a special pleader below the bar. In the latter year he was called to the bar at the Inner Temple. He chose the northern circuit, and was not long in securing a high reputation. He was returned to parliament as one of the members for the city of Durham in 1852, and was re-elected by the same constituency in 1857 and 1859. In politics he was an advanced liberal; opposed to the repeal of the Maynooth giant; in favour of the ballot, a large reform in the law, and the removal of all religious disabilities. He was appointed a queen's counsel in 1852, and became a bencher of his inn the same year, he was judge-advocate of the fleet and standing counsel to the admiralty from 1855 till December 1859, when he succeeded Sir H. S. Keatinge as Solicitor-General, and received the honour of knighthood. In June 1861, on the elevation of Sir R.