Chief Justice Emeritus/Vice-president, European Court of Human Rights
Born in Xagħra, Gozo, John Joseph was the son of Dr Antonio Cremona and Maria Anna née Camilleri. He was maternal nephew to Sir Luigi Camilleri. He graduated BA in 1936 from the RUM and D.Litt. in 1939 from the University of Rome. In 1942 he graduated LLD. from the RUM, coming first in course. Having been awarded a government travelling scholarship, he graduated BA, First Class Honours (1946) and PhD. in law (1951) from London University. In the UK Cremona did research in commercial law, constitutional law, and criminology and formed part of the criminologists’ team working under Dr Herman Mannheim on methods of criminological research. He worked on modern constitutions under Sir Ivor Jennings in Cambridge and with Prof. Stanley de Smith in London. He later also graduated Dr. Jur. from Trieste University.
Cremona, one of Malta’s most distinguished jurists, served as crown counsel and lectured in constitutional law at the RUM (1948-1961). He was later given the personal title of professor on grounds of special distinction and eventually appointed professor of criminal law (1961-1965). He was appointed attorney general (1957-1964), member, Executive Council (1959-1962), member, consultative council (1962-1964), and crown advocate general (1964-1965). In 1965 he was appointed judge and vice-president of the constitutional court and the court of appeal, he also served as chief justice and president of the constitutional court and the court of appeal (1971-1981).
After the 1962 elections Cremona took part in the pre-Independence talks with Prime Minister Ġorġ Borg Olivier* and was later entrusted with drafting the Malta Independence Constitution. His draft served as a basis for discussion at the Malta Independence Conference in Marlborough House, London, in 1963.
In 1965 Cremona was elected judge of the European court of human rights in Strasbourg and later vice-president of that court and vice-president of the European tribunal in matters of state immunity. He was also elected member and, chairman, of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) meeting in New York and Geneva. He represented the European court, with papers and reports, at several international congresses.
Cremona has also served as member, RUM Senate (1961-1965), pro-chancellor, RUM (1971), president, RUM Council (1972-1975), Fellow Royal Historical Society, honorary member, Real Academia de Jurisprudencia y Legislacion (Spain), honorary fellow, London School of Economics, honorary chairman, Human Rights Section, World Association of Lawyers, vice-president International Institute of Studies, Documentation and Information for Protection of Environment, member, Institut International des Droits de l’Homme, member, Scientific Council, Movement International des Juristes Catholiques - Pax Romana and Scientific Council, Law Faculty, Universite de Saint Esprit (Lebanon); member, editorial advisory board of La Revue des Droits de l’Homme, Europaische Grundrechte Zeitschrift, Human Rights Law Journal, and Rivista Internazionale dei Diritti dell’Uomo. Cremona is also chairman, St John Council, MMDNA Council, and Sportmanship Trophy Committee and president, Alliance Française and the Friends of Attard Hospital Committee. In 1996 he was appointed chairman of the Public Broadcasting Services.
Cremona is a knight of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, of the Venerable Order of St John of Jerusalem, and of the Order of St Gregory the Great, Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur, and knight grand cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic and of the Constantinian Order. In 1994 Cremona was appointed companion of the National Order of Merit (K.O.M.). In 1999, the President of Malta, Prof. G. de Marco* presided over the presentation of the Festschcrift-Mainly Human Rights in honour of Prof. Cremona, edited by Prof. S. Busuttil*.
Cremona was for many years vice-president of the International Poetry Society (London) and contributed to poetry magazines in Britain and America. His poems have been translated into French and Greek and included in the English Association anthology Commonwealth Poems of Today (1967) and in educational books in Britain and Australia.
In Italy, before the 2nd World War, he was art critic for various literary reviews and book illustrator for publishing house La Prora. On his return to Malta in 1939, he studied engraving under Carmelo Mangion at the School of Art.
Cremona married the Noble Beatrice Cremona-Barbaro, Marchioness of St George* and they have a son Anthony, a lawyer, and two daughters, Anne, a consultant psychiatrist in London, and Mary, a graduate in art and archaeology, and UM Melitensia Librarian.
This biography is part of the collection created by Michael Schiavone over a 30-year period. Read more about Schiavone and his initiative here.