The Honourable ''The Honourable'' (Commonwealth English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific Style ...

Sir Norman John O'Bryan, QC (16 October 1894 – 5 June 1968) was an Australian barrister and judge who sat on 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 compri ...

from 1939 to 1966.

Early life and education

Norman John O'Bryan was born on 16 October 1894 in

South Melbourne South Melbourne is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Port Phillip local government area. South Melbourne recorded a population of 11,548 at the 2021 ...

to a bank manager, Michael John O'Bryan, and his wife Mary Ann, ''née'' Gleeson. He attended the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...

and graduated in 1915 with a law degree, finishing top in his year.J. Mcl. Young
"O'Bryan, Sir Norman John (1894–1968)"
''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' (online edition, Australian National University; first published in print, 2000). Retrieved 17 March 2018.

Career

O'Bryan was

articled Apprenticeship is a system for training a potential new practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study. Apprenticeships may also enable practitioners to gain a license to practice in a regulate ...

to Plante & Henry, and admitted as a

solicitor A solicitor is a lawyer who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and enabled to p ...

and

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 ...

in 1916. He then served in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

as an officer in the Australian Field Artillery. Returning to Australia at the close of 1919, O'Bryan joined L. B. Cussen's chambers as a pupil in February 1920, thus beginning a lengthy career in law. He returned to the University of Melbourne in 1929 as a part-time lecturer in law, but left in 1932 as his practice expanded; he was appointed a

King's Counsel A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...

in 1937 and, while Sir James Macfarlan was on leave, he was appointed an acting judge on the Victorian Supreme Court in February 1939. His appointment made substantive six months later; O'Bryan continued to serve on the Court until 1966, when he retired. In the meantime, he had advised the Minister of the Army during the Second World War, and chaired the advisory council of St Vincent's Hospital in Fitzroy for 19 years from 1944. O'Bryan was knighted in 1958. He died on 5 June 1968 and was buried at

Melbourne General Cemetery The Melbourne General Cemetery is a large (43 hectare) necropolis located north of the city of Melbourne in the suburb of Carlton North. The cemetery is notably the resting place of five Prime Ministers of Australia, more than any other ...

; his first wife, Elsa ''née'' Duncan, had died in 1928, but O'Bryan was survived by his second wife, Violet Leila, Elsa's younger sister. He had a daughter by his first wife, and along with four sons another by his second wife, who all survived him. His son, Norman Michael, QC (1930–2013), was a barrister and judge who also sat on the Supreme Court of Victoria, from 1977 to 1992.Norman O'Bryan
"O'Bryan, Norman Michael (1930–2013)"
''Obituaries Australia'' (online edition, Australian National University). Retrieved 17 March 2018.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:OBryan, Norman 1894 births 1968 deaths Judges of the Supreme Court of Victoria Australian barristers Judges from Melbourne Knights Bachelor 20th-century Australian judges Australian King's Counsel