Ninian Stephen

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}}{{#if:|{{#ifeq:{{#ifeq:|no|yes}}|yes||}} }}{{#if:|{{#ifeq:{{#ifeq:|no|yes}}|yes||}} }}{{#if:|{{#if:||{{#ifeq:{{#ifeq:|no|yes}}|yes||}}}} }}{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox officeholder with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| regexp1 = 1blankname[%d]* | regexp2 = 1namedata[%d]* | regexp3 = 2blankname[%d]* | regexp4 = 2namedata[%d]* | regexp5 = 3blankname[%d]* | regexp6 = 3namedata[%d]* | regexp7 = 4blankname[%d]* | regexp8 = 4namedata[%d]* | regexp9 = 5blankname[%d]* | regexp10 = 5namedata[%d]* | allegiance | alma_mater | regexp11 = alongside[%d]* | alt | regexp12 = ambassador_from[%d]* | regexp13 = appointed[%d]* | regexp14 = appointer[%d]* | regexp15 = assembly[%d]* | awards | battles | battles_label | birth_date | birth_name | birth_place | birthname | regexp16 = blank[%d]* | bodyclass | branch | branch_label | cabinet | candidate | caption | categories | regexp17 = chancellor[%d]* | children | citizenship | regexp18 = co%-leader[%d]* | commands | committees | regexp19 = constituency[%d]* | regexp20 = constituency_AM[%d]* | regexp21 = constituency_MP[%d]* | regexp22 = convocation[%d]* | regexp23 = country[%d]* | regexp24 = data[%d]* | date | death_cause | death_date | death_manner | death_place | demo | regexp25 = deputy[%d]* | regexp26 = district[%d]* | education | election_date | embed | father | regexp28 = firstminister[%d]* | footnotes | regexp29 = governor[%d]* | regexp30 = governor_general[%d]* | regexp31 = governor%-general[%d]* | height | honorific_prefix | honorific-prefix | honorific_suffix | honorific-suffix | image | image name | image_name_alt | image_size | imagesize | image_upright | incumbent | regexp32 = jr/sr[%d]* | regexp33 = jr/sr and state[%d]* | known_for | regexp34 = leader[%d]* | regexp35 = legislature[%d]* | regexp36 = lieutenant[%d]* | regexp37 = lieutenant_governor[%d]* | mainwidth | regexp38 = majority[%d]* | regexp39 = majority_floor_leader[%d]* | regexp40 = majority_leader[%d]* | regexp41 = majorityleader[%d]* | mawards | regexp42 = military_blank[%d]* | regexp43 = military_data[%d]* | regexp44 = minister[%d]* | regexp45 = minister_from[%d]* | regexp46 = minority_floor_leader[%d]* | regexp47 = minority_leader[%d]* | regexp48 = minorityleader[%d]* | regexp49 = module[%d]* | regexp50 = monarch[%d]* | mother | name | nationality | native_name | native_name_lang | nickname | nocat | regexp51 = nominator[%d]* | nominee | occupation | regexp52 = office[%d]* | opponent | regexp53 = order[%d]* | otherparty | parents | regexp54 = parliament[%d]* | regexp55 = parliamentarygroup[%d]* | partner | party | party_election | portfolio | regexp56 = preceded[%d]* | regexp57 = preceding[%d]* | regexp58 = predecessor[%d]* | regexp59 = premier[%d]* | regexp60 = president[%d]* | regexp61 = primeminister[%d]* | regexp62 = prior_term[%d]* | profession | pronunciation | rank | rank_label | relations | relatives | residence | resting_place | resting_place_coordinates | restingplace | restingplacecoordinates | regexp63 = riding[%d]* | runningmate | salary | serviceyears | serviceyears_label | signature | signature_alt | signature_size | smallimage | smallimage_alt | source | speaker | speaker_office | spouse | spouses | regexp64 = state[%d]* | regexp65 = state_assembly[%d]* | regexp66 = state_delegate[%d]* | regexp67 = state_house[%d]* | regexp68 = state_legislature[%d]* | regexp69 = state_senate[%d]* | regexp70 = status[%d]* | regexp71 = suboffice[%d]* | regexp72 = subterm[%d]* | regexp73 = succeeded[%d]* | regexp74 = succeeding[%d]* | regexp75 = successor[%d]* | regexp76 = taoiseach[%d]* | regexp77 = term[%d]* | regexp78 = term_end[%d]* | regexp79 = term_label[%d]* | regexp80 = term_start[%d]* | regexp81 = termend[%d]* | regexp82 = termlabel[%d]* | regexp83 = termstart[%d]* | regexp84 = title[%d]* | unit | unit_label | regexp85 = vicegovernor[%d]* | regexp86 = vicepremier[%d]* | regexp87 = vicepresident[%d]* | regexp88 = viceprimeminister[%d]* | regexp89 = assuming[%d]* | website | width | year }} Sir Ninian Martin Stephen (15 June 1923 – 29 October 2017) was an English-born Australian judge who served as the 20th governor-general of Australia, in office from 1982 to 1989. He was previously a justice of the High Court of Australia from 1972 to 1982.<ref name="HCAbio">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Stephen was born in England to Scottish parents. As a child he lived for periods in France, Germany, Scotland, and Switzerland, eventually arriving in Australia at the age of 16. Stephen served with the Australian Army during World War II, and after the war entered the legal profession. He became one of Australia's leading constitutional lawyers. Stephen was appointed to the Supreme Court of Victoria in 1970, and then to the High Court in 1972, aged 48. He was considered a member of the court's "moderate centre". In 1982, Stephen was appointed governor-general on the recommendation of Malcolm Fraser. He approved two double dissolutions during his time in office, the only governor-general to do so. After his term expired, Stephen remained active in public life as a conservationist and member of various international tribunals. He died at the age of 94, making him Australia's longest-lived governor-general.

Early lifeEdit

Stephen was born in Nettlebed, Oxfordshire, England, to Scottish parents, Barbara (née Cruickshank) and Frederick Brown Stephen. His father, a chauffeur,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> poultry farmer and motorcycle courier in World War I,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> left the family shortly after his birth, emigrating to Canada and starting a new family; his son was told that he had died, and did not learn the truth until 2003. Stephen's mother, formerly a lady's maid<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> was a paid companion for Nina Mylne, the wealthy heiress of the Queensland pastoralist Graham Mylne; his given name was in her honour. During his early childhood, the three of them lived for periods in Switzerland (Geneva where he was christened and Montreaux), France (Paris, Cannes, and Saint-Cast-le-Guildo) and Germany (Wiesbaden), where Mylne took him to Nuremberg for the 1938 Reichsparteitag Grossdeutschland (5-12 September) which he photographed.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref> They eventually moved to Edinburgh in 1929 so Stephen could begin his formal schooling.<ref name=fv>Template:Cite book</ref>

Mylne paid for Stephen's education, which took place in Scotland (George Watson's College and Edinburgh Academy), London (St Paul's School), and Switzerland (Chillon College, Montreux). He and Mylne generally traveled together, while his mother remained in Scotland and ran a boardinghouse. In 1940, the three of them moved to Melbourne to avoid the war, booking first into the Oriental Hotel then taking a flat in Linden Hall<ref name=":0"/> opposite Scotch College which Stephen attended for two terms, and was then accepted into the University of Melbourne to study law.<ref name=fv/><ref name=bc>Template:Cite book</ref>

Second World WarEdit

In December 1941, following the end of his first year at university, Stephen enlisted in the Citizens Military Force to serve part-time in the Melbourne University Regiment. Following Japan's entry into World War II, Stephen completed full-time military training from 8 December 1941 to 15 February 1942 and was then posted to the 10th Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery, serving in Western Australia. He subsequently transferred to the Second Australian Imperial Force. In late 1943, Stephen transferred to the Royal Australian Engineers, serving in New Guinea from April to August 1944 with the 43rd Australian Water Transport Company. He then attended courses, culminating in a commissioning course in April 1945. As a lieutenant, he served in the 41st Australian Landing Craft Company in New Guinea and New Britain. In August 1945, he was posted to Labuan, Borneo, arriving after the war's end and serving there until January 1946. After returning to Australia, he was discharged on 5 February 1946.<ref>Service Record, VX107617 Stephen, Ninian Martin, B883, VX107617, National Archives of Australia, https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=6090879&isAv=N</ref>

Legal careerEdit

Stephen completed his studies after the war's end, and was admitted to the Victorian Bar in 1949. By the 1960s, he had become one of Australia's leading constitutional and commercial lawyers. He was made a Queen's Counsel in 1966.<ref name="HCAbio" />

Judicial careerEdit

On 30 June 1970, Stephen was appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria. He held this position until 29 February 1972, relinquishing it to take up his appointment as a justice of the High Court of Australia.<ref name="HCAbio" /> He was sworn of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom in 1979 and sat as a member of its Judicial Committee.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Dead link</ref>

Although Stephen was appointed to the High Court by a Liberal government, he proved not to be a traditional conservative upholder of states' rights. He joined the "moderate centre" of the court, between the arch-conservatism of Sir Garfield Barwick and the radicalism of Lionel Murphy. In 1982 he was part of the majority that decided on a broad interpretation of the "external affairs power" of the Australian constitution in the Koowarta v Bjelke-Petersen case.<ref name="fricke">Template:Cite book</ref>

Governor-generalEdit

In March 1982, Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser announced that Queen Elizabeth II had approved his recommendation of Sir Ninian Stephen to succeed Sir Zelman Cowen as Governor-General of Australia.<ref name="HCAbio" /> His appointment was praised by both sides of politics.<ref name="smh" /> He was sworn in on 29 July 1982, the first former High Court justice to become governor-general since Sir Isaac Isaacs in 1931. When Fraser was defeated by the Labor Party under Bob Hawke in 1983, Stephen had no difficulty working with a Labor government. In 1987, his term was extended by 18 months as a mark of personal respect and also to allow Bill Hayden (to whom Hawke had promised the position) to leave politics at a time of his choosing. Stephen is the only governor-general to have approved two double dissolutions – in 1983 (for Fraser) and 1987 (for Hawke).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Later workEdit

File:NinianStephen.gif

Stephen in November 2006

In 1989, Stephen became Australia's first Ambassador for the Environment<ref name="HCAbio" /> and, in his three-year term, was particularly energetic in working for a ban of mining in Antarctica. In 1990 he became the chair of the Australian Antarctic Foundation, based in Hobart, and subsequently also became the chair of the Constitutional Centenary Foundation, based in Melbourne, which was established following the 1991 Constitutional Centenary Conference.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1991, he undertook a difficult task when he was appointed chairman of the second strand of the Northern Ireland peace talks. From 1991 to 1995, he was a judge ad hoc of the International Court of Justice in the case East Timor (Portugal v. Australia) 1991–1995.<ref>East Timor (Portugal v. Australia), Judgment, I.C.J. Reports 1995, p. 90 Template:Webarchive.</ref> From 1993 to 1997, he was a judge on the international tribunals investigating war crimes in Yugoslavia and Rwanda. He also served as chairman of the Australian Citizenship Council from 1998.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1994, he acted as a special envoy of the UN Secretary General to resolve political conflicts in Bangladesh.<ref name="smh" />

Stephen later moved back into the legal field, becoming president of an arbitral tribunal constituted under Chapter 11 of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), charged with the adjudication of an investment dispute between Mondev, a Canadian investor, and the United States.<ref>Mondev International Ltd. v. United States of America, ICSID Case No. ARB(AF)/99/2</ref>

A detailed scholarly biography of Stephen, Fortunate Voyager by Philip Ayres, was released in September 2013.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Drawing upon it, Ayres also summarised Stephen's career for the Victorian Bar News.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

HonoursEdit

Template:Infobox viceroy styles Stephen was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) on 20 April 1972 "for distinguished services to the Law",<ref name="LG 21 April 1972">Template:London Gazette</ref> and sworn of the Privy Council in 1979. As governor-general he was made a Knight of the Order of Australia (AK), Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) and Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO). In 1994 Queen Elizabeth II appointed him a Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter (KG), being the most recent Australian to be granted a knighthood in the personal gift of the monarch of Australia. He therefore had the unusual distinction of holding six separate knighthoods and joined Lord Casey and Sir Paul Hasluck as one of the few Australian Knights Companion of the Order of the Garter. In 1983 he was named a Commandeur of the French Légion d'honneur.<ref>Philip Ayres. Fortunate Voyager: The Worlds of Ninian Stephen. Retrieved 19 July 2014</ref><ref>ABC Editorial Policies: About the Authors, p. 5. Retrieved 19 July 2014</ref><ref>Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, Dialogue 22, 2/2003, p. 11 Template:Webarchive. Retrieved 19 July 2014</ref>

Stephen delivered the first Sir Ninian Stephen Lecture at the University of Newcastle's law school in 1993, giving his name to this lecture series.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

File:Order of the Garter UK ribbon.svg	Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter (KG)	1994<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref>
File:AUS Order of Australia (civil) BAR.svg	Knight of the Order of Australia (AK)	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
File:Ord.St.Michele-Giorgio.png	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG)	1982<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref>
File:Royal Victorian Order UK ribbon.png	Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO)	1982<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref>
File:Order of the British Empire (Civil) Ribbon.png	Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE)	1972<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref>
File:Order of St John (UK) ribbon -vector.svg	Knight of Grace of the Venerable Order of St John of Jerusalem (KStJ)	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
File:1939-45 Star.png	1939–45 Star	<ref name="Sir Ninian Stephen awards"/>
File:Pacific Star.gif	Pacific Star	<ref name="Sir Ninian Stephen awards"/>
File:War Medal 1939–1945 (UK) ribbon.png	War Medal 1939–1945	<ref name="Sir Ninian Stephen awards"/>
File:Australian Service Medal 1939-45 ribbon.jpg	Australia Service Medal 1939–45	<ref name="Sir Ninian Stephen awards"/>
File:QEII Silver Jubilee Medal ribbon.png	Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal	1977<ref name="Sir Ninian Stephen awards"/>
File:AUS Centenary Medal ribbon.svg	Centenary Medal	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
File:Legion Honneur Commandeur ribbon.svg	Commander of the Legion of Honour	France; 1983

Personal life and deathEdit

In June 1949, Stephen married Valery Mary Sinclair (4 July 1925 – 3 November 2019)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Cbignore Template:User-generated source</ref> and they had five daughters.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Stephen and his wife were patrons of the Australian Inland Botanic Gardens.<ref name="wentworthbotanic">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He died in Melbourne on 29 October 2017, aged 94.<ref name="smh">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A state funeral for Stephen was held on 8 November at St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

ArmsEdit

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ReferencesEdit

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External linksEdit

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Supreme Court of Victoria Website
The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre website
Obituary by Geoffrey Robertson, The Guardian
Australian Senate condolences: {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}

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