BRYCE, JAMES
James Bryce, also known as the Viscount Bryce
of Dechmont, was born May 10, 1838, in Belfast,
Ireland. He attended Glasgow and Heidelberg
Universities and received a bachelor of arts
degree from Oxford University in 1862.
After his ADMISSION TO THE BAR in 1867,
Bryce practiced law for the next fifteen years. He
accepted a professorship at Oxford in 1870,
where he taught CIVIL LAW until 1893.
Bryce entered Parliament in 1880 and
remained a member until 1907. During this
time, he also performed diplomatic duties—
serving as undersecretary of foreign affairs in
1886 and chief secretary for Ireland from 1905
to 1906. From 1907 to 1913, he acted as ambassador
to the United States.
In 1913, Bryce participated at the HAGUE
TRIBUNAL, the international court of ARBITRATION
established in the Netherlands. After
WORLD WAR I, he was active in the formation of
the LEAGUE OF NATIONS.
Bryce gained fame for his numerous publications,
including The Holy Roman Empire: The
American Commonwealth, which was published
in 1888 and was an important work concerning
American government; and Modern Democracies,
published in 1921.
He died January 22, 1922, in Sidmouth, Devonshire, England.
James Bryce 1838–1922
