Sir John Alfred Northmore KCMG (14 September 1865 – 15 May 1958) was a Chief Justice of the

Supreme Court of Western Australia The Supreme Court of Western Australia is the highest state court in the Australian State of Western Australia. It has unlimited jurisdiction within the state in civil matters (although it usually only hears matters involving sums of A$750,0 ...

, which is the highest ranking court in the state of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to ...

. Northmore was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court in 1914 before being appointed Chief Justice in 1931. He retired in 1945 and died in 1958. He also served as Administrator of Western Australia from 1931 to 1933, fulfilling the functions of

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

after financial straits prevented a permanent successor to Governor Sir William Campion.

Early life and education

Northmore was born on 14 September 1865 in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater A ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. His parents were John Alfred Northmore and Susan Northmore (née Churchill). They were

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abil ...

and were from the west of England. He was one of five children. He attended

St Peter's College, Adelaide , other_name = The Collegiate School of St Peter , seal_image = St Peter's College, Adelaide Logo.svg , seal_size = 150 , image = SPSC chapel and memorial hall.jpg , image_size ...

, and the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on ...

, graduating with a bachelor of law in 1887.

Career

Northmore was called to the South Australian Bar in 1888. In 1896, he moved to

Perth Perth is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the Australian states and territories of Australia, state of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth most populous city in Aust ...

and was called to the Western Australia Bar on 15 September that year. He headed the legal practice Northmore, Lukin & Hale, later called Northmore, Hale, Davy & Leake. In , he became a

King's Counsel 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 ...

, and on 28 April 1914, he was appointed to the

bench. On 29 September 1931, he became the

Chief Justice of Western Australia The Chief Justice of Western Australia is the most senior judge of the Supreme Court of Western Australia and the highest ranking judicial officer in the Australian state of Western Australia. The chief justice is both the judicial head of the Su ...

, following the death of Sir Robert McMillan in April 1931. When Sir William Campion resigned as

Governor of Western Australia The governor of Western Australia is the representative in Western Australia of the monarch of Australia, currently King Charles III. As with the other governors of the Australian states, the governor of Western Australia performs constitutiona ...

in June 1931, another governor was not appointed due to the state's financial issues. Northmore acted as Administrator from 9 June 1931, serving in place of the governor. On 29 June 1932, he became Lieutenant-Governor, which he served as until 10 July 1933, when he resigned due to Thomas Draper, senior

puisne judge A puisne judge or puisne justice (; from french: puisné or ; , 'since, later' + , 'born', i.e. 'junior') is a dated term for an ordinary judge or a judge of lesser rank of a particular court. Use The term is used almost exclusively in common law ...

. Northmore was succeeded as Lieutenant-Governor by

Sir James Mitchell Sir James Mitchell, (27 April 1866 – 26 July 1951) was an Australian politician. He served as premier of Western Australia from 1919 to 1924 and from 1930 to 1933, as leader of the Nationalist Party. He then held viceregal office from 1933 ...

. In 1945, Northmore retired as Supreme Court Justice. In June 1932, Northmore received the honour of

Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in hono ...

. Within the

University of Western Australia The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...

(UWA), Northmore was pro-chancellor from 1929 to 1930, member of the senate from 1930 to 1936, and chairman of its finance committee.

Personal life

Northmore married Emily Agnes Ventris (née Culmer), on 6 March 1941 in a private Anglican chapel. He was a member of the

Weld Club The Weld Club is a private male-only social club in Perth, Western Australia. Founded in 1871 as a gentlemen's club, it is named after Frederick Weld, the chronologically first patron of the club and the Governor of Western Australia at the tim ...

and the

Royal Perth Yacht Club The Royal Perth Yacht Club (RPYC) is a yacht club in Perth, Western Australia. It is the third oldest yacht club in Australia after the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria and the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron.

. His wife died in 1957, and he died on 15 May 1958. He was buried in

Karrakatta Cemetery Karrakatta Cemetery is a metropolitan cemetery in the suburb of Karrakatta in Perth, Western Australia. Karrakatta Cemetery first opened for burials in 1899, the first being that of wheelwright Robert Creighton. Managed by the Metropolitan Ce ...

Legacy

Northmore Street in Daglish, Western Australia and Northmore Crescent in

Winthrop, Western Australia Winthrop is a southern suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Melville. History Winthrop was originally a pine tree plantation owned by the University of Western Australia. The first blocks were sold in the early 1980s. ...

were named after John Northmore, for his work at UWA. These suburbs were formerly UWA endowment land, and so a number of their streets were named after prominent people at UWA.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Northmore, John 1865 births 1958 deaths Australian Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Chief Justices of Western Australia Judges of the Supreme Court of Western Australia 20th-century Australian judges University of Adelaide alumni Burials at Karrakatta Cemetery People educated at St Peter's College, Adelaide