James Harrison (Australian governor)
Encyclopedia
Major General
Sir
James William Harrison KCMG
CB
CBE
(25 May 1912 – 16 September 1971) was an Australia
n military officer and the first Australian-born Governor of South Australia.
James Harrison was born at Camperdown, Victoria, the second child of Victorian-born parents James Samuel Harrison, farmer, and his wife Mary Eleanor, née Harlock. He was educated at Geelong College, Melbourne High School and the Royal Military College, Duntroon
, where he graduated in 1932 as an artillery specialist.
He had a varied military career, culminating in becoming a member of the Military Board, as quartermaster-general (1962–63) and adjutant-general (1963–66), and head of Eastern Command, Sydney (from 1966).
He was sworn in as Governor of South Australia on 4 December 1968. His term was unremarkable. Don Dunstan
later concluded: 'Sir James fulfilled his role as Governor quietly and in the traditional way, and left little mark on the State'. In 1969 and 1970 both he and his wife were hospitalised, in his case with a coronary occlusion
. In 1971 he and his wife set off on an overseas holiday. Sir James died suddenly on 16 September 1971 while flying to Honolulu. He was survived by his wife and two sons, and he was cremated.
(OBE) in 1953 and promoted to Commander (CBE) in 1958.
He was made a Commander of the Order of the Bath
(CB) in January 1968, and knighted as a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
(KCMG) in October 1968.
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Sir
Sir
Sir is an honorific used as a title , or as a courtesy title to address a man without using his given or family name in many English speaking cultures...
James William Harrison KCMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
CB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
CBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(25 May 1912 – 16 September 1971) was an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n military officer and the first Australian-born Governor of South Australia.
James Harrison was born at Camperdown, Victoria, the second child of Victorian-born parents James Samuel Harrison, farmer, and his wife Mary Eleanor, née Harlock. He was educated at Geelong College, Melbourne High School and the Royal Military College, Duntroon
Royal Military College, Duntroon
The Royal Military College, Duntroon is the Australian Army's officer training establishment. It was founded at Duntroon, in the Australian Capital Territory, in 1911 and is situated on picturesque grounds at the foot of Mount Pleasant near Lake Burley Griffin, close to the Department of Defence...
, where he graduated in 1932 as an artillery specialist.
He had a varied military career, culminating in becoming a member of the Military Board, as quartermaster-general (1962–63) and adjutant-general (1963–66), and head of Eastern Command, Sydney (from 1966).
He was sworn in as Governor of South Australia on 4 December 1968. His term was unremarkable. Don Dunstan
Don Dunstan
Donald Allan "Don" Dunstan, AC, QC was a South Australian politician. He entered politics as the Member for Norwood in 1953, became state Labor leader in 1967, and was Premier of South Australia between June 1967 and April 1968, and again between June 1970 and February 1979.The son of a business...
later concluded: 'Sir James fulfilled his role as Governor quietly and in the traditional way, and left little mark on the State'. In 1969 and 1970 both he and his wife were hospitalised, in his case with a coronary occlusion
Coronary occlusion
A coronary occlusion is the partial or complete obstruction of blood flow in a coronary artery. This condition may cause a heart attack.In some patients coronary occlusion causes only mild pain, tightness or vague discomfort which may be ignored: the myocardium is however damaged....
. In 1971 he and his wife set off on an overseas holiday. Sir James died suddenly on 16 September 1971 while flying to Honolulu. He was survived by his wife and two sons, and he was cremated.
Honours
He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British EmpireOrder of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(OBE) in 1953 and promoted to Commander (CBE) in 1958.
He was made a Commander of the Order of the Bath
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(CB) in January 1968, and knighted as a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
(KCMG) in October 1968.