Sir Charles John Lowe KCMG (4 October 1880 – 20 March 1969) was an Australian judge. He served 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 compr ...

from 1927 to 1964, the longest serving judge in the court's history. He presided over several major federal and state government inquiries.

Early life

Lowe was born on 4 October 1880 in

Panmure, Victoria Panmure is a small town in the south west of Victoria, Australia. At the 2006 census, Panmure and the surrounding area had a population of 421. Situated on the Princes Highway, the town is half way between Terang and Warrnambool. The township ...

. His father was born in

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a Historic counties of England, historic county, Ceremonial County, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significa ...

, England, and worked as a schoolteacher until being pensioned off due to blindness. Lowe attended 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 n ...

where he was the "model of the able poor student", graduating

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

in 1900,

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. ...

in 1902 and

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of ...

in 1904. He was admitted to the

Victorian Bar The Victorian Bar is the bar association of the Australian State of Victoria. The current President of the Bar is Roisin Annesley KC. Its members are barristers registered to practice in Victoria. On 30 June 2020, there were 2,179 counsels ...

in 1905.

Judicial career

Lowe was appointed to the

in January 1927, with the encouragement of his friend

Owen Dixon Sir Owen Dixon (28 April 1886 – 7 July 1972) was an Australian judge and diplomat who served as the sixth Chief Justice of Australia. A judge of the High Court for thirty-five years, Dixon was one of the leading jurists in the English ...

. He notably presided over the trial of the accused Pyjama Girl murderer in 1944 and the murder trial of John Bryan Kerr in 1951, where his decision was upheld on appeal to the

Judicial Committee of the Privy Council The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is the highest court of appeal for the Crown Dependencies, the British Overseas Territories, some Commonwealth countries and a few institutions in the United Kingdom. Established on 14 Augus ...

. He also presided over "four major commissions of inquiry" – the 1940 inquiry into the Canberra air disaster, the 1942 inquiry into the

Bombing of Darwin The Bombing of Darwin, also known as the Battle of Darwin, on 19 February 1942 was the largest single attack ever mounted by a foreign power on Australia. On that day, 242 Japanese aircraft, in two separate raids, attacked the town, ships in ...

, the 1943 federal royal commission into

Eddie Ward Edward John Ward (7 March 189931 July 1963) was an Australian politician who represented the Australian Labor Party (ALP) in federal parliament for over 30 years. He was the member for East Sydney for all but six-and-a-half weeks from 1931 ...

's " Brisbane Line" allegations, and the 1949–1950 Victorian royal commission into 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 ...

. In the latter, communist activist

Ralph Gibson Ralph Gibson (born January 16, 1939) is an American art photographer best known for his photographic books. His images often incorporate fragments with erotic and mysterious undertones, building narrative meaning through contextualization and ...

concluded that "contrary to our fears and to the Government's hopes, displayed a certain genuine interest in Communist theory and a certain respect for evidence". Lowe retired from the court in 1964 after a record 37 years, presiding over his final trial in 1962.

Other activities

Lowe served as chancellor of the University of Melbourne from 1941 to 1954, in place of John Latham. He "spoke out for better conditions for professors, publicly supported research, international academic intercourse, 'liberal education', and co-residential colleges". He also served as president of the local

English-Speaking Union The English-Speaking Union (ESU) is an international educational membership organistation. Founded by the journalist Sir Evelyn Wrench in 1918, it aims to bring together and empower people of different languages and cultures, by building skill ...

and the Australian-Asian Association of Victoria.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lowe, Charles 1880 births 1969 deaths Judges of the Supreme Court of Victoria University of Melbourne alumni Australian people of English descent Chancellors of the University of Melbourne Australian barristers Australian Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George