Sir Joseph Henry Hood (1 June 1846 – 29 January 1922) was a puisne judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria from 1890 to 1921.
Hood was born in Melbourne, a son of John Hood MLC and educated at Scotch College, of which he was dux in 1863, and had a brilliant scholastic career at Melbourne University, graduating BA in 1868, and was called to the Bar later that same year. After further studies he qualified MA and LLB. He had a large practice at the County Court, where he frequently had Frank Gavan Duffy as an adversary.[1]
During the "land boom" of the 1880s he shared much litigation work with John Madden, Henry Hodges and J. L. Purves.[1]
In 1890 he was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court, where he was noted for his quick wit and rapid understanding of matters before the court.[1]
In 1916 he was obliged on account of sickness to take several extended absences from court.[2]
He was knighted on 3 June 1920.
He resigned from the bench in November 1921 due to poor health, having suffered a bout of pneumonia, and died a month later.
As a young man he enjoyed athletics and rowed for the University and Richmond rowing clubs. Later he wrote Rowing Notes for The Australasian.[3]
Hood married Georgina McKee (c. 1849 – 13 August 1937)[4] on 8 November 1869.[5] They had one son and three daughters; the youngest, Florence Hood (1880–1968), was a noted violinist.