James Avon Clyde, Lord Clyde

Who was James Avon Clyde, Lord Clyde?

James Avon Clyde, Lord Clyde KC DL was a Scottish politician and judge.

Clyde was called to the Scots Bar in 1889, and appointed a King's Counsel in August 1901. He was later Dean of the Faculty of Advocates from 1915–1918.

He held office briefly as Solicitor General for Scotland in late 1905.

He was the unsuccessful Tory candidate for Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire in 1906. He sat as Liberal Unionist Member of Parliament for Edinburgh West from 1909 to 1918 and Coalition Unionist member for Edinburgh North from 1918–1920.

He was appointed a Privy Counsellor in 1916. He was also appointed to the Dardanelles Commission. He served as Lord Advocate from 1916 to 1920 in the Coalition Government. He was appointed to the bench and served as Lord Justice General and Lord President of the Court of Session from 1920 to 1935, with the judicial title Lord Clyde. During this time Lord Clyde gave this famous quote in the case of Ayrshire Pullman Motor Services v Inland Revenue [1929] 14 Tax Case 754, at 763,764: