George James Dethridge (2 November 1863 – 29 December 1938) was an Australian judge. He was the inaugural Chief Judge of the

Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration The Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration was an Australian court that operated from 1904 to 1956 with jurisdiction to hear and arbitrate interstate industrial disputes, and to make awards. It also had the judicial functions of in ...

, in office from 1926 until his death in 1938. Dethridge was born in

Bendigo, Victoria Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban populat ...

, the son of Mary, née Kipling, and James Dethridge. He grew up in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

and was educated at St Stephen's Grammar School and a State school, both in

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

and at Brunswick Business College before reaching

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

, graduating

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

(1890),

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

(1893), and

Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...

(1897). He was called to the

Victorian Bar The Victorian Bar is the bar association of the Australian State of Victoria. The current President of the Bar is Roisin Annesley KC. Its members are barristers registered to practice in Victoria. On 30 June 2020, there were 2,179 counsels ...

in 1893, and became one of Melbourne's best-known

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

s. In 1919, Dethridge chaired the ''Royal Commission on industrial troubles on Melbourne wharfs''. The following year, he was appointed to the

County Court of Victoria The County Court of Victoria is the intermediate court in the Australian state of Victoria. It is equivalent to district courts in the other states. The County Court is the principal trial court in the state, having a broad criminal and civi ...

. He was named as the inaugural Chief Judge of the Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration in 1926, following its reform by the Bruce Government. In 1935, he was additionally appointed to the

Federal Court of Bankruptcy The Federal Court of Bankruptcy was an Australian court that was established in 1930, pursuant to Chapter III of the Constitution. The jurisdiction in bankruptcy was shared with state courts. (2015) 38(3) Melbourne University Law Review 996 On ...

, and an acting judge of the Supreme Court of the ACT. He was appointed chair of the ''Royal Commission on doctors' remuneration for

national insurance service The National Insurance Service ( no, Trygdeetaten) was a Norwegian government agency responsible for social security. Organization It had its roots in the National Insurance Administration ( no, Rikstrygdeverket), which was founded by parliamenta ...

and other contract practice'' in 1938, but died suddenly before the report was completed.

Other interests

Dethridge was a member of Melbourne's

Bohemian Club The Bohemian Club is a private club with two locations: a city clubhouse in the Nob Hill district of San Francisco, California and the Bohemian Grove, a retreat north of the city in Sonoma County. Founded in 1872 from a regular meeting of journal ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dethridge, George 1863 births 1938 deaths 20th-century Australian judges People educated at Trinity College (University of Melbourne) University of Melbourne alumni People from Bendigo Judges of the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory Judges of the Federal Court of Bankruptcy Judges of the County Court of Victoria