John Dwyer (Australian judge)
Encyclopedia
Sir John Patrick Dwyer KCMG (24 June 1879 - 25 August 1966) was Chief Justice
and Lieutenant Governor
of the State of Western Australia
from 1945 to 1959.
, the son of Thomas and Elizabeth Dwyer. He studied at Geelong College where he excelled at cricket and football in addition to his academic work. Dwyer graduated as dux
of the school in 1893. In 1897 he attended the University of Melbourne
with the intention of becoming an articled clerk.
barrister M.L. Moss. He was admitted to the Western Australian Bar in the same year. In 1908 Dwyer married Emily Louise Munro at St John's Church in Fremantle
. After a brief period with Albany
law firm Hayes and Robinson he returned to Fremantle as junior partner to Moss in 1911.
Dwyer enlisted with the Australian Imperial Forces on 30 May 1916 shortly after the ANZAC
withdrawal from Gallipoli
, and was commissioned as a lieutenant a year later. Arriving in France four months before Armistice Day
, Dwyer served with the 44th Battalion during the closing stages of the German counteroffensive and in the immediate aftermath of the war itself. He returned to Australia in early 1919 and was officially demobilised on 23 July.
Dwyer resumed his legal practice as a senior partner of the firm Moss, Dwyer, Unmack and Thomas and was selected by the Barristers Board as a member of the three-person committee to consider the establishment of a law school at the University of Western Australia
. he became a lecturer at the new law school in 1928 and in 1929 was appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court
.
On 1 January 1946, Dwyer as appointed Chief Justice of Western Australia
. He was knighted in the same year and knighted KCMG in 1949.
and is buried at the Karrakatta Cemetery
.
Chief Justice of Western Australia
The Chief Justice of Western Australia is the senior judge of the Supreme Court of Western Australia and the highest ranking judicial officer in the Australian state of Western Australia. The Chief Justice is both the judicial head of the Supreme Court as well as the administrative head...
and Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...
of the State of Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
from 1945 to 1959.
Early life
Dwyer was born on 24 June 1879 at Aberfeldy, VictoriaAberfeldy, Victoria
Aberfeldy is a small town in Victoria, Australia. It is located on Mount Lookout, north east of Lake Thomson, 125 kilometres east of Melbourne....
, the son of Thomas and Elizabeth Dwyer. He studied at Geelong College where he excelled at cricket and football in addition to his academic work. Dwyer graduated as dux
Dux
Dux is Latin for leader and later for Duke and its variant forms ....
of the school in 1893. In 1897 he attended the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
with the intention of becoming an articled clerk.
Legal and military career
Dwyer was called to the Victorian Bar in 1902 but relocated to Western Australia in 1904 following an offer of employment with FremantleFremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...
barrister M.L. Moss. He was admitted to the Western Australian Bar in the same year. In 1908 Dwyer married Emily Louise Munro at St John's Church in Fremantle
Fremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...
. After a brief period with Albany
Albany, Western Australia
Albany is a port city in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, some 418 km SE of Perth, the state capital. As of 2009, Albany's population was estimated at 33,600, making it the 6th-largest city in the state....
law firm Hayes and Robinson he returned to Fremantle as junior partner to Moss in 1911.
Dwyer enlisted with the Australian Imperial Forces on 30 May 1916 shortly after the ANZAC
Australian and New Zealand Army Corps
The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps was a First World War army corps of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force that was formed in Egypt in 1915 and operated during the Battle of Gallipoli. General William Birdwood commanded the corps, which comprised troops from the First Australian Imperial...
withdrawal from Gallipoli
Battle of Gallipoli
The Gallipoli Campaign, also known as the Dardanelles Campaign or the Battle of Gallipoli, took place at the peninsula of Gallipoli in the Ottoman Empire between 25 April 1915 and 9 January 1916, during the First World War...
, and was commissioned as a lieutenant a year later. Arriving in France four months before Armistice Day
Armistice Day
Armistice Day is on 11 November and commemorates the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, France, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War I, which took effect at eleven o'clock in the morning—the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day...
, Dwyer served with the 44th Battalion during the closing stages of the German counteroffensive and in the immediate aftermath of the war itself. He returned to Australia in early 1919 and was officially demobilised on 23 July.
Dwyer resumed his legal practice as a senior partner of the firm Moss, Dwyer, Unmack and Thomas and was selected by the Barristers Board as a member of the three-person committee to consider the establishment of a law school at the University of Western Australia
University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia was established by an Act of the Western Australian Parliament in February 1911, and began teaching students for the first time in 1913. It is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia and the only university in the state to be a member of the...
. he became a lecturer at the new law school in 1928 and in 1929 was appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of Western Australia
The Supreme Court of Western Australia is the highest state court in the Australian State of Western Australia. It has unlimited jurisdiction within the state in civil matters , and hears the most serious criminal matters.The Supreme Court consists of a General Division The Supreme Court of Western...
.
On 1 January 1946, Dwyer as appointed Chief Justice of Western Australia
Chief Justice of Western Australia
The Chief Justice of Western Australia is the senior judge of the Supreme Court of Western Australia and the highest ranking judicial officer in the Australian state of Western Australia. The Chief Justice is both the judicial head of the Supreme Court as well as the administrative head...
. He was knighted in the same year and knighted KCMG in 1949.
Retirement
Dwyer retired from the Court on 28 February 1959 at the age of 79. He died on 25 August 1966 at his home in Shenton ParkShenton Park, Western Australia
Shenton Park is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Subiaco and 4 km west of the Central business district. Its postcode is 6008...
and is buried at the Karrakatta Cemetery
Karrakatta Cemetery
Karrakatta Cemetery is a metropolitan cemetery in the suburb of Karrakatta in Perth, Western Australia. Karrakatta Cemetery first opened for burials in 1899, with Robert Creighton. Currently managed by the Metropolitan Cemeteries Board, the cemetery attracts more than one million visitors each...
.
See also
- Judiciary of AustraliaJudiciary of AustraliaThe judiciary in Australia is modelled substantially on the system of courts which existed in England.The large number of courts and tribunals in Australia have different procedural powers and characteristics, different jurisdictional limits, different remedial powers and different cost...