Arnold Duncan McNair, 1st Baron McNair (4 March 1885 – 22 May 1975) was a British jurist and judge of the International Court of Justice and later the first president of the European Court of Human Rights. Early life and education McNair was born in Highbury Fields, London. The eldest son of John McNair and Jeannie Ballantyne; his mother was a teacher and his father a member of Lloyd's. McNair was educated at Aldenham School. He left school at 17 to join his sick uncle who was a solicitor; he took his solicitor exams and qualified as a solicitor in 1906. After four years, his uncle's health improved and McNair applied to the University of Cambridge. He was accepted and won a classical scholarship for Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge; he took the law tripos in 1907 and 1908. While at Cambridge, he developed a close relationship with W. W. Buckland. He achieved a double first in both parts of the law tripos. From Cambridge, he took an LLB in 1909, an LLM in 1913, an MA in 1919 and an LLD in 1925. From 1907 to 1908 he was Secretary of Cambridge University Liberal Club, and in 1909 he was President of the Cambridge Union. Career McNair moved to London to practise as a solicitor. However, Buckland went to London to offer McNair a lectureship and fellowship at Caius College in 1912, which was accepted. He later became senior tutor. During the First World War, he worked under the coal controller, serving as secretary to the Sankey Commission in 1919. In 1917, he was called to the bar at Gray's Inn. He was reader in international law at the University of London from 1926 to 1927. He was appointed Tagore Professor at the University of Calcutta in 1931. In 1935 he was appointed Whewell Professor of International Law at Cambridge. However, he left the chair in 1937 to become Vice-Chancellor of Liverpool University where he remained until 1945. when he returned to Cambridge to take up the position of professor of comparative law. He was offered the position of master of Caius, but declined it in favour of joining the International Court of Justice. His interest was in the common law and he lectured on contract at Cambridge, though he was most notable as an international law expert. R. Y. Jennings said McNair was of the opinion that international