Shen Junru

In this Chinese name, the family name is Shen.

Shen Junru
沈钧儒
Shen in 1963
1st Chief Justice and President of the Supreme People's Court
In office 1 October 1949 – 22 September 1954
Succeeded by	Dong Biwu
Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress
In office 15 September 1954 – 11 June 1963
Chairman	Liu Shaoqi Zhu De
Vice Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
In office 21 September 1949 – 11 June 1963
Chairman	Mao Zedong Zhou Enlai
Chairman of the China Democratic League
In office 10 February 1955 – 11 June 1963
Preceded by	Zhang Lan
Succeeded by	Yang Mingxuan
Personal details
Born	2 January 1875 Suzhou, Jiangsu
Died	June 11, 1963(1963-06-11) (aged 88)
Political party	China Democratic League
Alma mater	Hosei University

Shen Junru (Chinese: 沈钧儒; pinyin: Shěn Jūnrú; Wade–Giles: Shen Chünju; January 2, 1875 – June 11, 1963) was a Chinese lawyer and politician who was the president of the Supreme People's Court of the Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China. He was also the chairman of the China Democratic League.

Biography

Shen in his 30s–40s

Shen was born in Suzhou, with family ancestry in Jiaxing City. He received the Jinshi or "presented scholar" degree, the highest under the imperial examination system. Shen completed a preparation course (速成科) at Hosei University, in Tokyo, Japan in 1905.

Shen Junru and other six intellectuals in Shanghai were arrested in 1936 by Chiang Kai-shek's government, which is known as the Seven Gentlemen Incident. This incident caused a national crisis and the seven individuals were released only after Japan launched an invasion in the summer of 1937.^[1]

Shen attended the first Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in 1949 and was appointed to be the first President of the Supreme People's Court from 1949 to 1954. Shen had also served as a member of the committee of the Central People's Government, and was vice-chairman of the CPPCC National Committee from 1949 to 1963.^{[citation needed]}

Additionally, Shen was vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress from 1954 to 1963, and chairman of the China Democratic League from 1956 to 1963. He was also vice-chairman of the Chinese Political and Law Studies Association (中国政治法律学会).^{[citation needed]}

Death

Shen Junru's ashes lie in state in Beijing

Shen died during his sleep in early morning on June 11, 1963 from a long illness at the age of 88 years old.

Notes

References

1. Patrick Fuliang Shan, “Demythologizing Politicized Myths: A New Interpretation of the Seven Gentlemen Incident,” Frontiers of History in China, (Vol. 8, No. 1, 2013), 51-77.

Legal offices
New title	President of the Supreme People's Court of China 1949–1954	Next: Dong Biwu
Party political offices
Preceded by Zhang Lan	Chairman of China Democratic League 1956–1963	Succeeded by Yang Mingxuan