GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF AUSTRALIA

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 133, 3 December 1930, Page 11

GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF AUSTRALIA

SIR ISAAC ISAACS APPOINTED

LONG CONTROVERSY ENDED

United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright. (Received 3rd December, 9 a.m.) LONDON, 2nd December. His Majesty the King, on Mr. Scullin's recommendation, lias appointed Sir Isaac Alfred Isaacs, Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia, Governor-General of Australia, in succession to Lord Stonehaven. ,The dale on which he will assume office will be announced later.

BRILLIANT CAREER

LAWYER AND POLITICIAN

A GREAT JUDGE

The appointment of Sir Isaac Isaacs to the post of Governor-General of his native country is a happy outcome of a controversy which began during April of this year, when it was reported that he had been offered the post. The announcement, unauthorised by tho federal Government, brought a host of protests from various Australian bodies which considered it unwise to appoint a native-born Australian to tho post, and led to tho statement that an embarrassing situation had been created in England owing to Australia's course, which was reported to be an infringement of the Royal prerogative. The "Morning Post" declared that Mr. J. H. Seullin might have committed a breach of courtesy, if not of the Constitution, and all over Australia controversy raged. Despite questionings in the House, however, Mr.,Seullin refused to make 'any definite statement on the subject. Mr. Seullin deplored the manner in which speculation was carried on as to the successor of Lord Stonehaven, but Mr. Latham, Leader of the Opposition, answered that for this Mr. Seullm's own reticence was to blame. Finally it was announced that Mr. Seullin would interview His Majesty, during the visit to tho Imperial Conference. KEEN MIND. Small, alert, untiring, implacable, Sir Isaac Isaacs is ono of tho keenest intellects in Australia. His extraordinary memory is such that no matter how many cases ho hears in a day he never takes a note, and as Chief Justice of tho Commonwealth he hears many that need close attention. In fact, while still a student he almost lost an exhibition scholarship through the remarkable way in which he can memorise. His competitor was tho late Mr. Justice Wiudoyer, also a brilliant young man, and years afterwards the examiner confessed that when ho saw the various clauses and paragraphs quoted in Isaacs's paper, and the pagination noted as well, he reached the conclusion that tho young man had been "cribbing." Only after persuasion by the Registrar <of Melbourne University, who had presided at the examination, did he abandon this idea. Of Sir Isaac's determination another story is told. It is tho famous one of the course of tho Deakin administration' in which Sir Isaac was Attorney-General. Tho Government was a minority party, but the Labour Party, headed by Andrew Fisher' and J. C. Watson, had agreed to support a programme submitted for tho session. Late on Tuesday night a Bill had been debated until the House was exhausted, and the Opposition pleaded for an adjournment. This tho Attor-ney-General refused. Ho sat glowering at the House, and no progress was made, though hours passed. The Liberal Opposition again askod that exhausted members should bo allowed to go home to bed. "Very well," said tho Attorney-General. "Give mo down to Clause 14 and we'll adjourn." The House rose in protest. Clause 14 was the most controversial of the Bill. It could not possibly be passed there and

then. "Very well," said the Attor-ney-General, "we sit hero until wo do." A STONEWALL. . That Tuesday night there began a stonewall which lasted until midnight on the following Saturday, and crowds came to watch the contest between one man and Parliament. In those days, Sir Isaac was rising rapidly. ■ He had begun his career in Auburn and received his education at a State school in Yackandanah. A pupil teacher, a tutorial coach (at the age of 20 he was making £300 a year at this), a medallist at Beechworth Grammar School, and an undergraduate at the University of Melbourne, he soon ijet his feet in the path of law. His precise, logical mind and his cool intellect besides a brain quick to grasp and slow to lose fundamentals fitted him for this career. By 1880, when he was 25, he had taken his LL.M. with first-class honours and was practising on his own. Bapidly successful in his profession, he began to interest himself in politics in tho early 'nineties, and while ho was still working up the reputation which permitted him to take silk in 1899, he was also making a name as a political chieftain. In 1892 he was returned to tho Legislative Assembly as representative of tho Bogong district and the following year was Solicitor-General in the Patterson Ministry, which lasted until 1894. Sir Isaac then became At-torney-General in the first (1894-99) and second (1900-01) Turner Ministries. Then, leaving State for Federal politics, he was elected by Tudi to the House of Representatives and became prominent amongst tho radical protectionist section of Sir E. Barton's followers. HELD THE BALANCE. In 1904, Deakin's Ministry was ousted in favour of Watson's Labour Ministry and it was doubtful what Deakin's followers would do. Isaacs helped to prevent Deakin's whole fol-, lowing from coalescing with Reid's, for while 15 of them sat with Reid's Party in tho House, eight others, with Isaacs and Lyne, shared the Opposition benches with Labour. In June, 1905, Deakin withdrew his support from Reid and formed a new Ministry, and Isaacs became Attorney-General. This ho hold until October, 1906, when he was elevated to the High Court Bench, thereby, it was said, sacrificing . the Prime Ministorship, which would have been his in time. On tho Bench his career was no less distinguished. It was marked by legal brilliance, wit, honours, and no little publicity. He became famous, even among those who know littlo of Judges, by reason of his dissenting judgments. He frequently contradicted his brother Judges and expressed himself in lucid and stylish English. His famous judgments had literary merit as well as close reasoning, and his "contrariness" was never assumed for the mere purpose of" being different. He had good reasons for his opinions, and his forceful personality and wide knowledge of law caused them to be received with the greatest respect. He has a good deal of pugnacity in him —that stonewall mentioned earlier saw him working in Court each day, although he was sitting in Parliament each night. THE PRIVY COUNCIL. He became a Privy Councillor in 1921 and in 1924 was appointed a member of its Judicial Committee. In 1928 he received the K.C.M.G., -and in April of this year, as senior Judge, became Chief Justice in succession to Sir Adrian Knox, who resigned after inheriting a large sum under the will of his friend the millionaire coal owner, John Brown. Sir Isaac Isaacs is now over 75 years of age.