Sir William Hill Irvine (6 July 1858 – 20 August 1943) was an Australian politician and judge. He served as
Premier of Victoria
The premier of Victoria is the head of government in the Australian state of Victoria. The premier is appointed by the governor of Victoria, and is the leader of the political party able to secure a majority in the Victorian Legislative Assembly ...
(1902–1904),
Attorney-General of Australia
The Attorney-GeneralThe title is officially "Attorney-General". For the purposes of distinguishing the office from other attorneys-general, and in accordance with usual practice in the United Kingdom and other common law jurisdictions, the Aust ...
(1913–1914), and
Chief Justice of Victoria
The Chief Justice of Victoria is the senior judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria and the highest ranking judicial officer in the Australian state of Victoria. The Chief Justice is both the judicial head of the Supreme Court as well as the admin ...
(1918–1935).
Early life
Irvine was born in
Newry
Newry (; ) is a city in Northern Ireland, divided by the Clanrye river in counties Armagh and Down, from Belfast and from Dublin. It had a population of 26,967 in 2011.
Newry was founded in 1144 alongside a Cistercian monastery, althoug ...
in
County Down
County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 531,665. It borders County Antrim to the ...
, Ireland, into a Scottish-
Presbyterian
Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...
family; he was the nephew of Irish revolutionary John Mitchel. He was educated at
the Royal School, Armagh
The Royal School, Armagh is a co-educational voluntary grammar school, founded in the 17th century, in the city of Armagh in Northern Ireland. It has a boarding department with an international intake. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Hea ...
and
Trinity College, Dublin
, name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin
, motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin)
, motto_lang = la
, motto_English = It will last i ...
, graduating in law in 1879 before migrating to
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 ...
, where he taught in Presbyterian schools and read law at
Melbourne University
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 ...
, gaining a master's degree in arts and law. He soon became a leading Melbourne barrister.
Victorian politics
In 1894, Irvine was elected to the
Victorian Legislative Assembly
The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne.
The presiding ...
as a Liberal. He was Attorney-General 1899–1900 and 1902–03, and
Solicitor-General in 1903. He succeeded
George Turner as leader of the Victorian Liberals, but was much more conservative than either Turner or the federal
Protectionist Party
The Protectionist Party or Liberal Protectionist Party was an Australian political party, formally organised from 1887 until 1909, with policies centred on protectionism. The party advocated protective tariffs, arguing it would allow Australi ...
leader,
Alfred Deakin
Alfred Deakin (3 August 1856 – 7 October 1919) was an Australian politician who served as the second Prime Minister of Australia. He was a leader of the movement for Federation, which occurred in 1901. During his three terms as prime ministe ...
. In 1902, supported by the
National Citizens' Reform League
The National Citizens' Reform League was formed in Melbourne in April 1902. It sought to reduce the size of the Victorian government, following the recent creation of the Australian Government. Its cause attracted those opposed to the Australian ...
, he displaced the more liberal
Alexander Peacock
Sir Alexander James Peacock (11 June 1861 – 7 October 1933) was an Australian politician who served as the 20th Premier of Victoria.
Early Years
Peacock was born of Scottish descent at Creswick, the first Victorian Premier born after ...
and became Premier and Treasurer. He held office until 1904, when he was succeeded by the similarly-minded
Thomas Bent
Sir Thomas Bent (7 December 1838 – 17 September 1909) was an Australian politician and the 22nd Premier of Victoria.
Early life
Bent was born in Penrith, New South Wales the eldest of four sons and two daughters of James Bent, a hotel-keeper ...
.
Irvine's ministry was appointed on 10 June 1902:
*
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier.
A premier will normally be a head of governm ...
and
Attorney-General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general.
In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
: William Irvine
*
Treasurer
A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance.
Government
The treasury o ...
:
William Shiels
William Shiels (3 December 1848 – 17 December 1904) was an Australian colonial-era politician, serving as the 16th Premier of Victoria.
Biography
Shiels was born in Maghera, County Londonderry, a town in the centre of Ulster in the north of ...
* Solicitor-General :
John Mark Davies
Sir John Mark Davies (8 February 184012 September 1919) was a British-born Australian politician.
Born in Halstead, Essex, England in 1840, Davies was the fifth eldest of the six boys and six girls of Ebenezer Davies and Ruth Bartlett. Two of ...
* Minister of Railways :
Thomas Bent
Sir Thomas Bent (7 December 1838 – 17 September 1909) was an Australian politician and the 22nd Premier of Victoria.
Early life
Bent was born in Penrith, New South Wales the eldest of four sons and two daughters of James Bent, a hotel-keeper ...
* Minister of Education and Health :
Robert Reid
* Minister of Public Works and Agriculture : John Taverner
* President of Board of Lands :
Malcolm McKenzie
Malcolm McKenzie (May 31, 1863 – March 15, 1913) was a Canadian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta and, briefly, as Alberta Provincial Treasurer.
Early life
Malcolm McKenzie was born in Kincardine, On ...
* Minister of Mines :
Ewen Cameron
* Chief Secretary and Minister of Labour :
John Murray
Federal politics
In 1906, Irvine was elected to the
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the upper house being the Senate. Its composition and powers are established in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia.
The term of members of the ...
for the seat of
Flinders
Flinders may refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Flinders Peak, near the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula
Australia New South Wales
* Flinders County, New South Wales
* Shellharbour Junction railway station, Shellharbour
* Flinders, New South Wa ...
. First elected as an independent Protectionist, he became a member of Deakin's
Commonwealth Liberal Party
The Liberal Party was a parliamentary party in Australian federal politics between 1909 and 1917. The party was founded under Alfred Deakin's leadership as a merger of the Protectionist Party and Anti-Socialist Party, an event known as the Fu ...
in 1908. He was
Attorney-General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general.
In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
in
Joseph Cook
Sir Joseph Cook, (7 December 1860 – 30 July 1947) was an Australian politician who served as the sixth Prime Minister of Australia, in office from 1913 to 1914. He was the leader of the Liberal Party from 1913 to 1917, after earlier serving ...
's Liberal government of 1913–14. He was considered a potential
Prime Minister of Australia
The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister heads the executive branch of the Australian Government, federal government of Australia and is also accountable to Parliament of A ...
, but his abrupt manner and hard-line conservatism made him unacceptable to many Liberals; in Parliament he was known as "Iceberg Irvine."
Judicial career
Recognising that he was unlikely to progress further in politics, Irvine accepted appointment as the
Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court of Victoria
The Supreme Court of Victoria is the highest court in the Australian state of Victoria. Founded in 1852, it is a superior court of common law and equity, with unlimited and inherent jurisdiction within the state.
The Supreme Court comprises ...
, the
highest-ranking court in that
state
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
. He held the position from 1918 until 1935.
Other activities
He was knighted
KCMG KCMG may refer to
* KC Motorgroup, based in Hong Kong, China
* Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, British honour
* KCMG-LP, radio station in New Mexico, USA
* KCMG, callsign 1997-2001 of Los Angeles radio station KKLQ (FM) ...
in 1914 and made
GCMG
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 honour ...
in 1936. A keen motorist, he was a founding member of the
Royal Automobile Club of Victoria
The Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV) is a motoring club and mutual organisation. It offers various services to members, including insurance and roadside assistance.
It has about 30,000 ordinary club members who have access to the li ...
(RACV) and was its patron from 1938 through 1943. In 1932 a painting of Irvine by
Ernest Buckmaster
Ernest William Buckmaster (1897–1968) was an Australian artist born in Victoria. He won the Archibald Prize in 1932 with a portrait of Sir William Irvine. He also served as an Australian war artist during World War II.
Life and career
Buckm ...
won the
Archibald Prize
The Archibald Prize is an Australian portraiture art prize for painting, generally seen as the most prestigious portrait prize in Australia. It was first awarded in 1921 after the receipt of a bequest from J. F. Archibald, J. F. Archib ...
, Australia's best-known portrait prize.
See also
*
List of Judges of the Supreme Court of Victoria
References
Sources
*Geoff Browne, ''A Biographical Register of the Victorian Parliament, 1900–84'', Government Printer, Melbourne, 1985
*Don Garden, ''Victoria: A History'', Thomas Nelson, Melbourne, 1984
*Kathleen Thompson and Geoffrey Serle, ''A Biographical Register of the Victorian Parliament, 1856–1900'', Australian National University Press, Canberra, 1972
* Raymond Wright, ''A People's Counsel. A History of the Parliament of Victoria, 1856–1990'', Oxford University Press, Melbourne, 1992
External links
Supreme Court of Victoria Website*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Irvine, William
1858 births
1943 deaths
Premiers of Victoria
Attorneys-General of Australia
Members of the Cabinet of Australia
Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Flinders
Chief Justices of Victoria
Australian Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George
Australian politicians awarded knighthoods
People from Newry
Australian people of Scottish descent
Ulster Scots people
Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly
Melbourne Law School alumni
Attorneys-General of the Colony of Victoria
Solicitors-General of Victoria
Free Trade Party members of the Parliament of Australia
Commonwealth Liberal Party members of the Parliament of Australia
Nationalist Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia
20th-century Australian politicians
Lieutenant-Governors of Victoria
Irish emigrants to colonial Australia