Sir George John Robert Murray (27 September 1863 – 18 February 1942) was a judge from 2 April 1913 until 18 February 1942 on the

Supreme Court of South Australia The Supreme Court of South Australia is the superior court of the Australian state of South Australia. The Supreme Court is the highest South Australian court in the Australian court hierarchy. It has unlimited jurisdiction within the state in ...

, which is the highest ranking court in the Australian State of South Australia. He was

Chief Judge A chief judge (also known as presiding judge, president judge or principal judge) is the highest-ranking or most senior member of a lower court or circuit court with more than one judge. According to the Federal judiciary of the United States, th ...

from 20 January 1916 until 18 February 1942.

Early life

George John Robert Murray was born at Murray Park,

Magill ''Magill'' was an Irish politics and current affairs magazine founded by Vincent Browne and others in 1977. ''Magill'' specialised in investigative articles and colourful reportage by journalists such as Eamonn McCann (who wrote its anonymous ' ...

, near

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

, the second surviving son of

Alexander Borthwick Murray Alexander Borthwick Murray (14 February 1816 – 17 March 1903) was an Australian sheep breeder and parliamentarian in the early days of South Australia. He married his business partner Margaret Tinline after they had established a successful s ...

, a pioneer sheep-breeder and South Australia politician, and his second wife Margaret, ''née'' Tinline.Alex C. Castles,
Murray, Sir George John Robert (1863–1942)
, ''

Australian Dictionary of Biography The ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' (ADB or AuDB) is a national co-operative enterprise founded and maintained by the Australian National University (ANU) to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's ...

'', Vol. 10, Melbourne University Press, 1986, pp 640–641. Retrieved 27 December 2013 George Murray and was first educated at John L. Young's

Adelaide Educational Institution Adelaide Educational Institution was a privately run non-sectarian academy for boys in Adelaide founded in 1852 by John Lorenzo Young.B. K. Hyams'Young, John Lorenzo (1826–1881)' ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', Volume 6, Melbourne Unive ...

, then two years at the

Royal High School, Edinburgh The Royal High School (RHS) of Edinburgh is a co-educational school administered by the City of Edinburgh Council. The school was founded in 1128 and is one of the oldest schools in Scotland. It serves 1,200 pupils drawn from four feeder primar ...

and

St Peter's College, Adelaide , other_name = The Collegiate School of St Peter , seal_image = St Peter's College, Adelaide Logo.svg , seal_size = 150 , image = SPSC chapel and memorial hall.jpg , image_size ...

, where he won the Prankerd, Wyatt, Christchurch and Farrell scholarships. At the

University of Adelaide 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 ...

Murray won the John Howard Clark scholarship for English literature in 1882, qualified for the BA degree in 1883, and won the South Australian Scholarship. This allowed him to study at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

where he took his B.A. and

LL.B. 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 ...

degrees, being bracketed senior in the law

tripos At the University of Cambridge, a Tripos (, plural 'Triposes') is any of the examinations that qualify an undergraduate for a bachelor's degree or the courses taken by a student to prepare for these. For example, an undergraduate studying mathe ...

in 1887. Murray also represented Cambridge in

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

and rowing.

Career

Legal

Murray was

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

at the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...

in 1888, returned to South Australia and was associate to Sir Samuel Way until 1891, when he began practising as a barrister, initially in partnership with

William Ashley Magarey William Ashley Magarey (30 January 1868 – 18 October 1929) was a lawyer, sportsman and sports administrator. He was the first chairman of the South Australian Football Association (SAFA) (later named South Australian National Football League ...

as Murray & Magarey. He was soon successful, and in 1906 became a KC, the first Adelaide graduate to obtain this distinction. In 1909 he paid a visit to England and took his LL.M. degree, and in 1912 he was appointed a judge of the

. In 1916 he succeeded Sir

Samuel Way Sir Samuel James Way, 1st Baronet, (11 April 1836 – 8 January 1916) was an English-Australian jurist who served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of South Australia from 18 March 1876 until 8 January 1916. Background Way was born in P ...

Chief Justice of South Australia Of the judges of the Supreme Court of South Australia, , 14 had previously served in the Parliament of South Australia Edward Gwynne, Sir Richard Hanson, Randolph Stow, Sir Samuel Way, Sir James Boucaut, Richard Andrews, Sir William Bundey, S ...

. He was held in high regard by the legal profession.

University of Adelaide

He had been on the council of the University of Adelaide since 1891, and in 1915 was appointed

vice-chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth and former Commonwealth n ...

and in 1916 became chancellor of the university. His interest in educational problems and the university was shown in many ways, and his benefactions included £1000 for the building fund of the university in 1920, £2000 for general purposes in 1931, and £10,000 for a men's union building in 1936. He renounced his life interest in the estate of his sister, the value of which was estimated at £45,000, and this was left to the university in 1936.

Lieutenant Governor of South Australia

As Lieutenant Governor of South Australia for practically the whole period of his chief justiceship, Murray administered the government of South Australia on numerous occasions in the absence of the Governor.

Honours, later life, death and legacy

Murray was created

K.C.M.G. The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honou ...

in 1917. Murray visited Europe again in 1935. He died at Adelaide following an operation for

appendicitis Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these typical symptoms. Severe complications of a rup ...

on 18 February 1942; he was buried privately beside his sister in St George's Church of England cemetery,

. In 1908 he endowed the University of Adelaide with £1,000 to establish the Tinline Scholarship in History in recognition of the family of his mother, born Margaret Tinline (c. 1823 – 17 August 1907). The heritage-listed George Murray Building, part of the Union Buildings at the university, designed by Woods, Bagot, Jory and Laybourne-Smith and built in 1937, was named after him. Every year at St. Peter's College the house with the highest performance and effort in house events is awarded the George Murray Shield.

References

* * Emerson, Dr. John, First Among Equals – Chief Justices of South Australia Since Federation, University of Adelaide Barr Smith Press, Adelaide, 2004, pp 57–108.

External links

Supreme Court History
courts.sa.gov.au {{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, George John Robert 1863 births 1942 deaths Chief Justices of South Australia Australian Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George People from Adelaide People educated at Adelaide Educational Institution People educated at the Royal High School, Edinburgh People educated at St Peter's College, Adelaide University of Adelaide alumni Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Members of the Inner Temple Chancellors of the University of Adelaide Vice-Chancellors of the University of Adelaide Lieutenant-Governors of South Australia Australian King's Counsel Judges of the Supreme Court of South Australia 20th-century Australian judges