| Office | Judge of the Supreme Court |
|---|---|
| Term start | 21 December 1966 |
| Term end | 13 January 1975 |
| Nominator | Government of Ireland |
| Appointer | Éamon de Valera |
| Office 1 | Judge of the High Court |
| Term start 1 | 3 October 1951 |
| Term end 1 | 20 December 1966 |
| Nominator 1 | Government of Ireland |
| Appointer 1 | Seán T. O'Kelly |
| Office 2 | Senator |
| Term start 2 | 14 August 1951 |
| Term end 2 | 2 October 1951 |
| Constituency 2 | Dublin University |
| Birth name | Frederick Gardner Orford Budd |
| Birth date | 11 April 1904 |
| Birth place | Dublin, Ireland |
| Death date | 9 February 1976 (aged 71) |
| Death place | Dublin, Ireland |
| Spouse | Oonagh Blennerhasset (m. 1931) |
| Alma mater |
Frederick Gardner Orford Budd (11 April 1904 – 9 February 1976) was an Irish judge, barrister and politician who served as a Judge of the Supreme Court from 1966 to 1975, a Judge of the High Court from 1951 to 1966, and a Senator for the Dublin University constituency for a number of months in 1951 prior to his appointment to the High Court.
In 1925, he was a scholar of Trinity College Dublin studying Modern History and Political Science.[1]
He was elected to Seanad Éireann as an Independent Senator in August 1951 for the Dublin University constituency.[2] He resigned from the Seanad on 2 October 1951, following his appointment as a judge of the High Court.[2] William J. E. Jessop won the subsequent by-election.
He was appointed to the Supreme Court of Ireland in 1966 and served on the court until 1975. He is credited for his role in some of the most progressive decisions of the Supreme Court during his time, often forming a 3/2 majority with Judge Brian Walsh and Chief Justice Cearbhall O Dalaigh.[3]
Budd married Oonah Blennerhassett in August 1931 and they had one son, (Declan Budd, a High Court justice who also sat on the Court of Criminal Appeal[4]), and three daughters.[5]
References
- ^ "List of Scholars". Trinity College Dublin. Archived 15 June 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
- ^ "Frederick Budd". Oireachtas Members Database. Archived 2018-11-08 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
- ^ Ruadhan Mac Cormaic, The Supreme Court. Penguin 2016, p.135.
- ^ "Death of Mr Justice Declan Budd announced". Law Society Gazette Ireland. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
- ^ Dempsey, Pauric J. "Budd, Frederic Gardner Orford". Dictionary of Irish Biography. Royal Irish Academy. Retrieved 27 April 2022.