Sir John Armstrong Spicer (5 March 1899 – 3 January 1978) was an Australian lawyer, politician, and judge. He served two terms as a

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

for

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, Seychelle ...

, representing the

United Australia Party The United Australia Party (UAP) was an Australian political party that was founded in 1931 and dissolved in 1945. The party won four federal elections in that time, usually governing in coalition with the Country Party. It provided two prim ...

(UAP) from 1940 to 1944 and the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

from 1950 to 1956. Spicer 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 the

Menzies Government Menzies is a Scottish surname, with Gaelic forms being Méinnearach and Méinn, and other variant forms being Menigees, Mennes, Mengzes, Menzeys, Mengies, and Minges. Derivation and history The name and its Gaelic form are probably derived f ...

from 1949 to 1956. He left politics to become chief judge of the newly created Commonwealth Industrial Court, a position which he held until 1976.

Early life

Spicer was born in the Melbourne suburb of

Prahran Prahran (), also pronounced colloquially as Pran, is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 5 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Stonnington local government area. Prahran recorded a po ...

, but was taken to England by his family in 1905 and educated at Chelston School,

Torquay Torquay ( ) is a seaside town in Devon, England, part of the unitary authority area of Torbay. It lies south of the county town of Exeter and east-north-east of Plymouth, on the north of Tor Bay, adjoining the neighbouring town of Paig ...

. His family returned to Australia in 1911 and he attended Hawksburn State School in the inner Melbourne suburb of

South Yarra South Yarra is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 4 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Melbourne and Stonnington local government areas. South Yarra recorded a popu ...

. In 1913, he started working as an office boy in a legal practice. He studied law 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 ...

from 1916 to 1918, and was admitted as a barrister and solicitor in March 1921, later establishing a successful legal practice. He married Lavinia May Webster in June 1924.

Political career

Spicer won a seat in the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

as a

candidate at the 1940 election. In the Senate, he spoke frequently on tax issues and promoted "sound and honest finance". Spicer was defeated at the 1943 election. He strongly opposed

Ben Chifley Joseph Benedict Chifley (; 22 September 1885 – 13 June 1951) was an Australian politician who served as the 16th prime minister of Australia from 1945 to 1949. He held office as the leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1945, follow ...

's bank nationalisation and acted for the English banks in court action on the issue. He

took silk In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister or a ...

in 1948. Spicer returned to the Senate as a

candidate in the December 1949 election, and was immediately appointed

in the

, even though his Senate term did not begin until February 1950. He was the first senator to hold the position since Josiah Symon in 1905. Spicer's first priority was to draft a bill banning the

Communist Party of Australia The Communist Party of Australia (CPA), known as the Australian Communist Party (ACP) from 1944 to 1951, was an Australian political party founded in 1920. The party existed until roughly 1991, with its membership and influence having been i ...

. The Bill was eventually passed by the Parliament and became the ''Communist Party Dissolution Act 1950'', but was later declared unconstitutional by the

High Court of Australia The High Court of Australia is Australia's apex court. It exercises original and appellate jurisdiction on matters specified within Australia's Constitution. The High Court was established following passage of the '' Judiciary Act 1903''. ...

. In 1952, he drafted an official secrets bill which included a provision permitting the death penalty for spying and wide powers of search and arrest without warrant, but this was rejected by cabinet. He was also

Minister for Transport A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government ag ...

for two weeks after

George McLeay George McLeay (6 August 1892 – 14 September 1955) was an Australian politician and senior minister in the Menzies Liberal government. Early life McLeay was born in Port Clinton, South Australia and educated at Port Clinton Public School unt ...

's death.

Judicial career

In August 1956, Spicer resigned from parliament so that he could be appointed to the Commonwealth Industrial Court. 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 ...

in 1963. Spicer presided over inquiries into aviation accidents: *

Trans Australia Airlines Flight 538 On 10 June 1960, a Fokker Friendship passenger aircraft operated by Trans Australia Airlines (TAA) was on approach at night to land at Mackay, Queensland, Australia when it crashed into the sea. All 29 people on board Trans Australia Airlines F ...

, a

Fokker F27 Friendship The Fokker F27 Friendship is a turboprop airliner developed and manufactured by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker. It is the most numerous post-war aircraft manufactured in the Netherlands; the F27 was also one of the most successful Eur ...

aircraft that crashed into the sea in 1960 while attempting to land in

Mackay, Queensland } Mackay () is a city in the Mackay Region on the eastern or Coral Sea coast of Queensland, Australia. It is located about north of Brisbane, on the Pioneer River. Mackay is described as being in either Central Queensland or North Queensla ...

, killing all 29 people on board. * Ansett-ANA Flight 325, a

Vickers Viscount The Vickers Viscount is a British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs. A design requirement from the Brabazon Committee, it entered service in 1953 and was the first turboprop-powered airliner. The Vi ...

aircraft that crashed into

Botany Bay Botany Bay ( Dharawal: ''Kamay''), an open oceanic embayment, is located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, south of the Sydney central business district. Its source is the confluence of the Georges River at Taren Point and the Cook ...

in 1961, killing all 15 people on board. * Ansett-ANA Flight 149, a Vickers Viscount aircraft that crashed near

Winton, Queensland Winton is a town and locality in the Shire of Winton in Central West Queensland, Australia. It is northwest of Longreach. The main industries of the area are sheep and cattle raising. The town was named in 1876 by postmaster Robert Allen, aft ...

in 1966, killing all 24 people on board. Spicer also chaired a royal commission in 1964 into the sinking of HMAS ''Voyager''. He found that officers in both ''Voyager'' and HMAS ''Melbourne'' had been at fault. A second royal commission in 1967-68 attributed blame to ''Voyagers officers only. Spicer retired in 1976, and died in the Melbourne suburb of Armadale two years later, survived by his wife and son.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spicer, John Armstrong United Australia Party members of the Parliament of Australia Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian Senate for Victoria Members of the Australian Senate 1899 births 1978 deaths Australian Knights Bachelor Australian politicians awarded knighthoods Members of the Cabinet of Australia Australian barristers Melbourne Law School alumni Politicians from Melbourne Judges from Melbourne 20th-century Australian politicians Judges of the Commonwealth Industrial Court People from Prahran, Victoria