Albert James Hannan QC (27 July 1887 – 1 January 1965) was a lawyer who was Crown Solicitor for

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

for 25 years .

History

He was born in

Port Pirie Port Pirie is a small city on the east coast of the Spencer Gulf in South Australia, north of the state capital, Adelaide. The city has an expansive history which dates back to 1845. Port Pirie was the first proclaimed regional city in South ...

, the eldest son of Francis Augustine "Frank" Hannan (1850 – 5 January 1931) and Mary Ellen Hannan (ca.1855 – 24 June 1934), and studied at the local school, then Sacred Heart College,

Semaphore Semaphore (; ) is the use of an apparatus to create a visual signal transmitted over distance. A semaphore can be performed with devices including: fire, lights, flags, sunlight, and moving arms. Semaphores can be used for telegraphy when arra ...

, followed by Adelaide University. After a brilliant scholastic career, winning the David Murray Scholarship in 1909 and 1912 and the Stow Prize in 1910 and 1912, he was awarded the LL.B. in 1912 and M.A. in 1914. Hannan joined the Education Department, and was admitted to the Bar in 1913, he became a permanent member of the Government service as Assistant then Parliamentary Draftsman before being appointed Assistant Crown Solicitor. He became Crown Solicitor in April 1927, and was lecturer in the theory of law and legislature, Roman law and jurisprudence at

Adelaide University The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

. He was a keen sportsman, excelling in tennis and lacrosse. He represented the SA and WA Governments at the

bank nationalisation A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Because ...

appeal before the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

in London in 1949. He was a vehement critic of

Common Cause Common Cause is a watchdog group based in Washington, D.C., with chapters in 35 states. It was founded in 1970 by John W. Gardner, a Republican, who was the former Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare in the administration of President L ...

, accusing the organisation of being either a Communist front or susceptible to takeover by Communists. He created a controversy when he publicly accused the (Labor) Commonwealth Government of

tapping Tapping is a playing technique that can be used on any stringed instrument, but which is most commonly used on guitar. The technique involves a string being fretted and set into vibration as part of a single motion. This is in contrast to stand ...

his telephone and interfering with his mail. He retired at age 65 and was succeeded by R. R. Chamberlain Q.C.

Family

He married Elizabeth Mary Catherine "Lily" Rzeszkowski ( – 7 December 1922) on 22 February 1919, lived at of Valmai-avenue, King's Park, then Commercial Road,

Hyde Park Hyde Park may refer to: Places England * Hyde Park, London, a Royal Park in Central London * Hyde Park, Leeds, an inner-city area of north-west Leeds * Hyde Park, Sheffield, district of Sheffield * Hyde Park, in Hyde, Greater Manchester Austra ...

. He married again, on 7 March 1927, to Una Victoria Measday. He died on 1 January 1965 at North Adelaide, survived by his wife and two daughters.John Playford, 'Hannan, Albert James (1887–1965)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/hannan-albert-james-10415/text18459, published first in hardcopy 1996, accessed online 12 December 2014. This article asserts that he was born James Garrett Hannan and in 1953 changed his name to Albert James by deed poll. But he was publicly known only as "Albert James" from college days, if not before.

Bibliography

*Hannan, A. J. ''Practical patriotism'' "Delivered before the Fifth Annual Conference, Adelaide, 11th September, 1935" Institute of Public Administration Annual Conference Adelaide, S. Aust. Education Department, Adelaide 1935. *Hannan, A. J. ''Our second hundred years'' "Read before members of the Insurance Institute of South Australia, Monday, 22nd June, 1936" Insurance Institute of South Australia, Adelaide 1936. *Hannan, A. J. ''Summary procedure of Justices in South Australia : being the Justices Act, 1921–1936 and the rules made thereunder'' Law Book Co., Adelaide 1939 / 4th ed. edited by L. McLean Wright. Law Book Co., Sydney 1975 *Hannan, A. J. ''The Life of Chief Justice Way'' Angus and Robertson, Sydney 1960.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hannan, Albert James Australian King's Counsel 1887 births 1965 deaths People educated at Sacred Heart College, Adelaide