Samuel James Mitchell (11 May 1852 – 3 October 1926) was an Australian politician and judge. He was a member of the South Australian House of Assembly from 1901 to 1910, representing the Northern Territory. He was

Government Resident of the Northern Territory The Administrator of the Northern Territory is an official appointed by the Governor-General of Australia to represent the government of the Commonwealth in the Northern Territory, Australia. They perform functions similar to those of a Governors ...

and the inaugural judge of the

Supreme Court of the Northern Territory The Supreme Court of the Northern Territory is the superior court for the Australian Territory of the Northern Territory. It has unlimited jurisdiction within the territory in civil matters, and hears the most serious criminal matters. It is aro ...

from 1910 to 1912. He returned to South Australia after 1912, serving as a judge in various capacities until his death.

Early life

Mitchell was born near Mount Barker in South Australia. He was educated at RC Mittons Grammar school in Adelaide. He worked at Mount Gambier and Melrose before moving to

Port Augusta Port Augusta is a small city in South Australia. Formerly a port, seaport, it is now a road traffic and Junction (rail), railway junction city mainly located on the east coast of the Spencer Gulf immediately south of the gulf's head and about ...

in 1871 and working as an auctioneer. He was a

Corporate Town of Port Augusta The City of Port Augusta is a local government area located at the northern end of Spencer Gulf in South Australia. It is centred on the town of Port Augusta. The city was the site of South Australia's main power supplier, the Port Augusta p ...

councillor and served as its mayor for two years before returning to Adelaide and working as a draper. He married Eliza Ann Gardner on 15 September 1875.

Legal career

He became an articled clerk for Henry Edward Downer in 1885. Mitchell graduated from the University of Adelaide in 1890 and was admitted to the Bar and practised with Paris Nesbit QC and later Robert Ingleby QC.

Politics

He was Mayor of

for 2 years. He stood unsuccessfully for parliament in 1900, but in 1901 won the House of Assembly seat for the Northern Territory. He was re-elected in 1902 and 1906 and was Attorney-General for 6 months from June 1909.

Northern Territory judge

In 1910 with the transfer of the Northern Territory to Commonwealth control, he resigned to become the Government resident and the Northern Territory judge. In 1911 he helped to effect the transfer of control to the Commonwealth. He remained Acting Administrator and Judge but resigned in 1912 after the Federal authorities would not make his appointment for life.

Later life

He returned to South Australia and became a

Stipendiary Magistrate Stipendiary magistrates were magistrates that were paid for their work (they received a stipend). They existed in the judiciaries of the United Kingdom and those of several former British territories, where they sat in the lowest-level criminal ...

and in 1916 transferred to the Adelaide Police Court. He was the first South Australian Judge of Insolvency from 1918 to 1926 and a Stipendiary Magistrate of the Adelaide Local Court and Taxation Appeal Court.

Children and grandchildren with legal careers

His son Harold, born 11 August 1885, practised law for a short time in Renmark before joining the AIF. Lieutenant Mitchell died on 5 April 1918 and was buried at

Millencourt Cemetery Millencourt is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography Millencourt is situated on the D91 road, some northeast of Amiens. Population See also *Communes of the Somme department The following is a l ...

in France. Dame

Roma Mitchell Dame Roma Flinders Mitchell, (2 October 1913 – 5 March 2000) was an Australian lawyer, judge and state governor. She was the first woman to hold a number of positions in Australia – the country's first woman judge, the first woman to be a ...

, his grand daughter, born 2 October 1913 was Australia's first female Queen's Counsel in 1962 and first female judge in 1965. She later became

Governor of South Australia The governor of South Australia is the representative in South Australia of the Monarch of Australia, currently King Charles III. The governor performs the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as does the governor-gene ...

in 1990, and is regarded as a pioneer of women's rights.

References

External links

History of Dame Roma Mitchell (his grand daughter), with references to him
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Samuel James 1852 births 1926 deaths Members of the South Australian House of Assembly Judges of the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory Government Resident of the Northern Territory Australian auctioneers People from Mount Barker, South Australia Attorneys-General of South Australia Mayors of places in South Australia