Background
Hurst was born in Horsham.
Hurst was born in Horsham.
He studied jurisprudence at Trinity College, Cambridge, earning an Bachelor of Laws in 1892. After the end of World War I he attended the Paris Peace Conference, 1919.
He worked from 1929 to 1945 as a judge to the Permanent Court of International Justice in The Hague, serving from 1934 to 1936 as president of the court. In June 1902 he began a career in the British Foreign Office as Assistant Legal Adviser. In 1918 he became Principal Legal Adviser.
During this time Hurst was a delegate of Great Britain at the Hague Convention in 1907, and one year later with London Naval Conference, at which maritime law was crafted.
During the 1920s he represented Great Britain several times before the Permanent Court. During this time he worked from 1934 to 1936 as a president and afterwards until 1945 as a vice-president of the court.
Hurst was honored as Central Bank in 1907, KC in 1913, Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in 1920, Knight Commander of the Order of Street Michael and Saint George in 1924, and Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Street Michael and Street George in 1926. The University of Cambridge awarded him an honorary doctorate in 1928.
An oil painting of Hurst, by British artist William Dring A.R.A, can be seen in the Library of Horsham Museum.
In 1929 he became a member of the Permanent Court of International Justice, and remained a member up to its dissolution in October 1945.
