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 ...

Horton Clement Williams QC (21 April 1933 – 17 December 2020) was a judge of the

Supreme Court of South Australia The Supreme Court of South Australia is the superior court of the Australian state of South Australia. The Supreme Court is the highest South Australian court in the Australian court hierarchy. It has unlimited jurisdiction within the state in ...

who retired in 2003.

Early life

Williams was born in Sydney and attended

Newington College Newington College is a multi-campus Independent school, independent Uniting Church in Australia, Uniting Church Single-sex education, single-sex and Mixed-sex education, co-educational Pre-school education, early learning, Primary school, primar ...

(1947–1950).Newington College Register of Past Students 1863–1998 (Syd, 1999) pp 216 In 1950 his family moved to

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

and he enrolled at the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide is a public university, public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. Its main campus in the Adelaide city centre includes many Sa ...

and graduated in law.

Legal career

Williams was a Judge's Associate from 1954 until 1956 and was admitted to the South Australian Bar in 1955. From 1956 until 1977 he was in private practice. He was appointed

Queen'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 1974. In 1995, he was appointed as the inaugural presiding member of South Australia's Gaming Supervisory Authority, the supervising regulator for the Adelaide Casino and licensed gaming machine premises, effective 1 July 1995. Williams resigned this position on 31 August 1995 to accept appointment as a Justice of the State's Supreme Court. He retired in 2003 and died in 2020. Other legal positions held included chairman of the Judicial Conference of Australia, vice-president of the

Australian Bar Association The Australian Bar Association (ABA) is the peak body representing more than 6,000 barristers throughout Australia. The ABA was established in 1963 to serve, promote and represent its members, and advocate for fair and equal justice for all. ...

and president of the South Australian Bar Association.

Community involvement

Williams was

Commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (India), in India ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ' ...

of the

Royal South Australian Yacht Squadron Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, ...

from 1991 until 1993.

References

1933 births 2020 deaths Judges of the Supreme Court of South Australia People educated at Newington College Adelaide Law School alumni Australian King's Counsel 20th-century Australian judges 21st-century Australian judges {{Australia-law-bio-stub