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Sir John Clifford Valentine Behan (8 May 1881 – 30 September 1957), the first
Rhodes Scholar The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...
from the state of
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seyche ...
, was an Australian educationalist and lawyer, the second warden of Trinity College at the
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 no ...
, and "beyond the college life t Trinity,he was a sound and far-seeing secretary in Australia of the Rhodes Scholarship Trust for 30 years from 1922 to 1952".


Family

The ninth and youngest child, and the fifth son of William Behan (1837–1930) and Phoebe Hannah Behan (née Gundry, 1845–1900) John Clifford Valentine Behan was born at
Footscray, Victoria Footscray is an inner-city Suburbs and localities (Australia), suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, west of Melbourne's Melbourne City Centre, Central Business District, located within the City of Maribyrnong Local go ...
, on 8 May 1881. On 30 July 1907, Behan married Violet Greta Caldwell (1881–1963).


Education


Secondary education

Behan was educated at
Caulfield Grammar School Caulfield Grammar School is an Independent school, independent, co-educational, Anglican Church of Australia, Anglican, International Baccalaureate, day school, day and boarding school, located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1881 as ...
(1894–1895: he was
dux ''Dux'' (; plural: ''ducēs'') is Latin for "leader" (from the noun ''dux, ducis'', "leader, general") and later for duke and its variant forms (doge, duce, etc.). During the Roman Republic and for the first centuries of the Roman Empire, ''dux' ...
in 1895), and at Thomas Palmer's "University High School" (1896) in Melbourne.


Melbourne University

Behan attended the
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 no ...
where he studied law and was awarded the Supreme Court Prize for being the top law student in his graduating class. He graduated
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 Ch ...
(LL.B) on 9 April 1904. On 21 April 1923 he was awarded a
Doctor of Laws A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor (LL. ...
(LL.D) degree by the university. In 1924 a version of his 1922 LL.D. dissertation, "The Use of Land as Affected by Covenants and Obligations not in the form of Covenants", was published.


Oxford University

Behan studied for both his Bachelor of Arts in jurisprudence and
Bachelor of Civil Law Bachelor of Civil Law (abbreviated BCL, or B.C.L.; la, Baccalaureus Civilis Legis) is the name of various degrees in law conferred by English-language universities. The BCL originated as a postgraduate degree in the universities of Oxford and Camb ...
degrees at
Hertford College Hertford College ( ), previously known as Magdalen Hall, is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on Catte Street in the centre of Oxford, directly opposite the main gate to the Bodleian Library. The colle ...
at the
University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...
. He was admitted to the
Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn ...
of the
Inns of Court The Inns of Court in London are the professional associations for barristers in England and Wales. There are four Inns of Court – Gray's Inn, Lincoln's Inn, Inner Temple and Middle Temple. All barristers must belong to one of them. They ha ...
and was a fellow of
University College In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies ...
at Oxford, lecturing in law. He became dean of the college in 1914.


Rhodes Scholarship

Behan was the first recipient of a Rhodes Scholarship designated for an Australian student. He was selected as the
Rhodes Scholar The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...
for Victoria in 1904. The selection committee for the Victorian Rhodes scholarship Sir
Reginald Talbot Major General Sir Reginald Arthur James Talbot, (11 July 1841 – 15 January 1929) was a British Army officer, Member of Parliament, and Governor of Victoria in Australia. Early life Talbot was born in London, the third son of Henry, Viscount ...
(
Governor of Victoria The governor of Victoria is the representative of the monarch, King Charles III, in the Australian state of Victoria. The governor is one of seven viceregal representatives in the country, analogous to the governors of the other states, and th ...
), Sir
John Madden John Earl Madden (April 10, 1936 – December 28, 2021) was an American football coach and sports commentator in the National Football League (NFL). He served as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders from 1969 to 1978, who he led to eight playo ...
(Chief Justice of Victoria), Arthur Sachse (Victorian Minister of Public Instruction), Frank Tate (Victorian Director of Education) and Baldwin Spencer (president of the professorial board of the University of Melbourne) determined that the closing date for applications would be 23 June 1904. At the close of applications there were fourteen candidates. Nine of the applicants, those who "were considered to have the best claims", were interviewed, and six of those "were regarded by the committee as fully complying with the requirements as laid down by the late Mr. Cecil Rhodes". Of those six, three (each of whom "had a brilliant record") made the final list: Behan, the future Olympian, and 1905 Rhodes Scholar Harvey Sutton and Behan's cousin, Edward Percival Oldham. After "long consideration" by the committee a ballot was held, and "Mr. Behan was unanimously selected the first Rhodes scholar for Victoria." In relation to Behan and Rhodes' second selection requirement namely, "his fondness of and success in manly outdoor sports, such as cricket, football and the like" the selection committee noted that: ::The fact that ehanhas had to earn his own living has debarred him from taking an active part in competitive athletics; but he laid before the selectors evidence that he has manifested fondness for and entered into manly sports and games. At its 14 July 1904 meeting, the Trinity College council, having been officially informed of Behan's selection, resolved: ::"That the council expresses to Mr Behan its great pleasure at his selection as the first Rhodes scholar for Victoria, and its confidence that his career at Oxford will confer further honour upon Trinity College, and that the council also offer its congratulations to the warden, tutors and students of Trinity upon this notable addition to the list of distinctions won by members of the college." — ''The Argus'', 18 July 1904. By early July, "there asa feeling of dissatisfaction among a section of the students of the University and others interested in the subject regarding the selection of Mr J.C V. Behan for the Rhodes scholarship"; and, on 14 July 1904, a meeting of the University of Melbourne Sports Union unanimously passed a resolution, critical of the 1904 selection of Behan (i.e., of the conduct of the selection process, rather than of Behan himself): ::"That in the interests of future candidates for the Rhodes scholarship, this council respectfully expresses its regret that the 1904 selection has been made on principles which make it possible for a person having no interests outside the scholastic and intellectual side of University life to represent the state as the Rhodes scholar." — ''The Examiner'', 18 July 1904. The same meeting passed a second unanimous resolution recommending that, in relation to the "fondness for and success in manly outdoor sport" requirement, "in the selection of a Rhodes scholar the only admissible evidence of fondness for and success in manly sports should be certificates given by bona-fide athletic committees, clubs, or associations, and stating the actual qualifications and performances of the candidate". A similar resolution, in relation to future selection criteria, was passed by the Victorian Amateur Athletic Association on 20 July 1904, and, on 27 August 1904, following a football match between the
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 ...
and
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 metrop ...
universities, in his address to the Melbourne team, the captain of the Adelaide University team, the Norwood and SAFL interstate footballer Dean Dawson stated that, ::"Speaking as an individual, and not officially, he very much sympathised with the young men of Melbourne in the emphatic protest, they had made respecting the choice of the Victorian Rhodes scholar. When he said that he referred not only to the matter of the protest, but to the manner in which it had been made by men who had been careful not to utter a word of unkindness towards the young man who had been chosen, but only to establish their own position, which seemed to be on a sound basis. All manly sports should be promoted at the universities, if only to give an opportunity to competitors for the Rhodes scholarship to become athletically proficient." — ''The Advertiser'', 29 August 1904.


Warden of Trinity College, Melbourne

Behan was warden of Trinity College, Melbourne, for 28 years, from May 1918when he succeeded Alexander Leeper, who had been warden for 42 yearsuntil his retirement in May 1946. He had studied at the college on a scholarship during his undergraduate education and was the first alumnus of the college to become its head. He is the second longest-serving warden of Trinity College.


Knighthood

He was made a
knight bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are the ...
upon his retirement. Not only was the award of his honour announced in the 1949 New Year Honours List along with that of
Don Bradman Sir Donald George Bradman, (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001), nicknamed "The Don", was an Australian international cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time. Bradman's career Test batting average of 99.94 has be ...
, but also, both his and Bradman's investiture by
William McKell Sir William John McKell (26 September 1891 – 11 January 1985) was an Australian politician who served as the 12th Governor-General of Australia, in office from 1947 to 1953. He had previously been Premier of New South Wales from 1941 to 1947 ...
, the
Governor-General of Australia The governor-general of Australia is the representative of the monarch, currently King Charles III, in Australia.Queen's Hall, Parliament House, Melbourne, on 15 March 1949.


Death

Behan died suddenly, at
Olinda, Victoria Olinda is a town within the Dandenong Ranges in central-south Victoria, Australia, located east of Melbourne's CBD, located within the Shire of Yarra Ranges local government area. Olinda recorded a population of 1,773 at the 2021 census. ...
, on 30 September 1957."Sir John Clifford Valentine Behan"
''The Fleur-de-Lys'', November 1957, Melbourne: Trinity College, pp. 5—8.


See also

*
List of Caulfield Grammar School people This is a list of notable past students and staff of Caulfield Grammar School and/or Malvern Memorial Grammar School (amalgamated with Caulfield in 1961). Alumni of the school are known as "Caulfield Grammarians" and are supported by the Caulfi ...


References


Further reading

* Behan, J.C.V. (1924), ''The Use of Land as Affected by Covenants and Obligations not in the form of Covenants'', London: Sweet & Maxwell. * * Thomson, D. (1993), "Great Australian Educators: Sir John Behan: Victoria's first Rhodes Scholar", ''Unicorn: Bulletin of the Australian College of Education'', 19(4), pp. 92-95.


External links


Behan's entry in the ''Australian Dictionary of Biography''
(Volume 7) {{DEFAULTSORT:Behan, John 1881 births 1957 deaths Australian Rhodes Scholars Alumni of Hertford College, Oxford People educated at Caulfield Grammar School People educated at Trinity College (University of Melbourne) Fellows of University College, Oxford Knights Bachelor Melbourne Law School alumni People from Footscray, Victoria Lawyers from Melbourne