Sir Johann Thomas Eichelbaum was a New Zealand jurist who served as the 11th Chief Justice of New Zealand.
10 Facts About Thomas Eichelbaum
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Thomas Eichelbaum was educated at Hutt Valley High School, then attended Victoria University College, graduating LLB in 1954.
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In 1956, Thomas Eichelbaum married Vida Beryl Franz, and the couple went on to have three sons.
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In 1978, Thomas Eichelbaum was appointed a Queen's Counsel, and from 1980 to 1982 he was President of the New Zealand Law Society.
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In 1982, Thomas Eichelbaum was appointed a judge of the High Court of New Zealand.
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The highest judicial position Thomas Eichelbaum held was in 1989 when he was appointed the Chief Justice of New Zealand; he retired from the Bench in 1999.
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Thomas Eichelbaum investigated the reasons for New Zealand losing co-hosting rights to the 2003 Rugby World Cup.
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On 6 February 1989, Thomas Eichelbaum was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of British Empire in the 1989 Special Honours, and later that same year was appointed to the Privy Council.
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Thomas Eichelbaum was a non-permanent judge of the Hong Kong SAR Court of Final Appeal and a part-time justice of the Supreme Court of Fiji and the Court of Appeal of Fiji.
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Thomas Eichelbaum died in Wellington on 31 October 2018, having been predeceased by his wife, Vida, Lady Thomas Eichelbaum, in 2013.