''For the Mayor of Timaru, see

Nigel Bowen ''For the Mayor of Timaru, see Mayor of Timaru, Nigel Bowen.'' Sir Nigel Hubert Bowen, (26 May 1911 – 27 September 1994) was an Australian lawyer, politician and judge. He was a member of the Liberal Party of Australia, Liberal Party and se ...

.'' Sir Nigel Hubert Bowen, (26 May 1911 – 27 September 1994) was an Australian lawyer, politician and judge. He was a member of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

and served in the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

from 1964 to 1973, representing the

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

seat of

Parramatta Parramatta (; ) is a suburb (Australia), suburb and major commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney. Parramatta is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district, Sydney CBD, on the banks of the Parramatta River. It is co ...

. He held senior ministerial office in multiple

Coalition A coalition is formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political, military, or economic spaces. Formation According to ''A G ...

governments, serving as

Attorney-General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

(1966–1969, 1971), Minister for Education and Science (1969–1971), and

Minister for Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral re ...

(1971–1972). After the Coalition lost the 1972 election he was an unsuccessful candidate to replace

William McMahon Sir William McMahon (23 February 190831 March 1988), also known as Billy McMahon, was an Australian politician who served as the 20th prime minister of Australia from 1971 to 1972. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia ...

as Liberal leader, losing to

Billy Snedden Sir Billy Mackie Snedden, (31 December 1926 – 27 June 1987) was an Australian politician who served as the leader of the Liberal Party from 1972 to 1975. He was also a cabinet minister from 1964 to 1972, and Speaker of the House of Repres ...

by a single vote. After leaving politics he served as the inaugural chief justice of the

Federal Court of Australia The Federal Court of Australia is an Australian superior court which has jurisdiction to deal with most civil disputes governed by federal law (with the exception of family law matters), along with some summary (less serious) and indictable (mo ...

(1976–1990).

Early life

Bowen was born on 26 May 1911 in

Summerland, British Columbia Summerland is a district municipality on the west side of Okanagan Lake in the interior of British Columbia, Canada. The district is between Peachland to the north and Penticton to the south. The largest centre in the region is Kelowna, ap ...

, Canada. He was the son of Dorothy Joan (née King) and Otway Percival Bowen. His parents, both born in England, were apple farmers. Bowen and his parents moved to Australia shortly after his birth. They initially settled on a sheep farm in

Gunnedah, New South Wales Gunnedah () is a town in north-central New South Wales, Australia and is the seat of the Gunnedah Shire local government area. In the the town recorded a population of 8,338. Gunnedah is situated within the Liverpool Plains, a fertile agricult ...

, but following a drought moved to Sydney where his father worked as an accountant. Bowen was sent to school in England from 1919 to 1921 with financial assistance from an aunt. After returning to Australia he attended

The King's School, Parramatta The King's School is an Education in Australia#Non-government schools, independent Anglican Church of Australia, Anglican, Pre-school education, early learning, primary school, primary and secondary school, secondary day and boarding school, bo ...

, from 1922 to 1927. He subsequently matriculated to the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

, graduating

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in 1931 and

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

in 1934. He served his articles of clerkship with Sly and Russell in Sydney and was

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 1936. He practised "widely across fields that included divorce, probate, and inheritance". During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Bowen volunteered in 1941 and joined the

Second Australian Imperial Force The Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF, or Second AIF) was the volunteer expeditionary force of the Australian Army in the Second World War. It was formed following the declaration of war on Nazi Germany, with an initial strength of one ...

in 1942 and served in the South Pacific theatre for two years.

Legal career

After the war, Bowen resumed his legal career, sharing chambers with

Gough Whitlam Edward Gough Whitlam (11 July 191621 October 2014) was the 21st prime minister of Australia, serving from December 1972 to November 1975. To date the longest-serving federal leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), he was notable for being ...

, John Kerr and later

Bob Ellicott Robert James Ellicott, (15 April 1927 – 31 October 2022) was an Australian barrister, politician and judge. He served as Solicitor-General of Australia (1969–1973) before entering the House of Representatives at the 1974 federal election ...

. He

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

in 1953 in New South Wales and Victoria in 1954. He was president of the New South Wales bar council from 1959 to 1961 and was vice-president of the

Law Council of Australia The Law Council of Australia, founded in 1933, is an association of law societies and bar associations from the states and territories of Australia, and the peak body representing the legal profession in Australia. The Law Council represents m ...

from 1957 to 1960. From 1946 to 1961, he was the editor of the ''

Australian Law Journal The ''Australian Law Journal'' is an Australian peer-reviewed law journal which has been publishing since 1927. Studies have found that it is one of the most cited Australian law journals. A 2002 study found that while on the Federal Court of A ...

''.

Political career

Bowen was elected to parliament at the

1964 Parramatta by-election A by-election was held for the Australian House of Representatives seat of Parramatta on 20 June 1964. This was triggered by the resignation of Liberal MP and Attorney-General Sir Garfield Barwick to become Chief Justice of the High Court. A b ...

, caused by the resignation of Sir

Garfield Barwick Sir Garfield Edward John Barwick (22 June 190313 July 1997) was an Australian judge who was the seventh and longest serving Chief Justice of Australia, in office from 1964 to 1981. He had earlier been a Liberal Party politician, serving as a ...

to take up an appointment as

Chief Justice of Australia The chief justice of Australia is the presiding justice of the High Court of Australia and the highest-ranking judicial officer in the Commonwealth of Australia. The incumbent is Stephen Gageler, since 6 November 2023. Constitutional basis Th ...

. He was appointed

Attorney-General of Australia The attorney-general of Australia (AG), also known as the Commonwealth attorney-general, is the minister of state and chief law officer of the Commonwealth of Australia charged with overseeing federal legal affairs and public security as the ...

in the Second Holt Ministry in December 1966, and in 1968 he introduced a bill for the establishment of a federal court junior to the

High Court of Australia The High Court of Australia is the apex court of the Australian legal system. It exercises original and appellate jurisdiction on matters specified in the Constitution of Australia and supplementary legislation. The High Court was establi ...

. Although that bill was withdrawn, it provided the basis of the ''Federal Court of Australia Act 1976''. Bowen appointed the Commonwealth Administrative Review Committee, which reported in 1971 and formed the basis for the establishment of the

Administrative Appeals Tribunal The Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) was an Australian tribunal that conducted independent merits review of administrative decisions made under Commonwealth laws of the Australian Government. The AAT reviewed decisions made by Australian G ...

, the appointment of a

Commonwealth Ombudsman Ombudsmen in Australia are independent agencies who assist when a dispute arises between individuals and industry bodies or government agencies. Government ombudsman services are free to the public, like many other ombudsman and dispute resolutio ...

and the enactment of the

Administrative Decisions (Judicial Review) Act 1977 ''Administrative Decisions (Judicial Review) Act 1977'' (Cth) is an Act of the Parliament of Australia, which created the ability to appeal the decision at the Federal Court of Australia for a person or other parties affected by most administra ...

. He also introduced the ''Privy Council (Limitation of Appeals) Act 1968'', which began the process of abolishing appeals from the High Court to the Privy Council in London, culminating in the

Australia Act 1986 The ''Australia Act 1986'' is the short title of each of a pair of separate but related pieces of legislation: one an act of the Parliament of Australia, the other an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. In Australia they are refe ...

. In November 1969, Bowen was appointed Minister for Education and Science in the Second Gorton Ministry. In the

McMahon Ministry The McMahon ministry ( Liberal–Country Coalition) was the 46th ministry of the Australian Government. It was led by the country's 20th Prime Minister, William McMahon. The McMahon ministry succeeded the Second Gorton ministry, which disso ...

, he was Attorney-General from March to August 1971 and then

until the election of the Whitlam government in 1972. Bowen was

's preferred candidate to replace William Owen on the High Court, but Anthony Mason was eventually chosen as it was feared that the Liberal Party would not be able to retain Bowen's seat at a by-election. When McMahon resigned after the 1972 election, Bowen lost the resulting leadership vote by one vote to

, on the fifth ballot.

Judicial career

In 1973, Bowen was appointed as Chief Judge in Equity in the

Supreme Court of New South Wales The Supreme Court of New South Wales is the highest state court of the Australian States and territories of Australia, State of New South Wales. It has unlimited jurisdiction within the state in civil law (common law), civil matters, and hears ...

. He was appointed first

Chief Judge Chief judge may refer to: In lower or circuit courts The highest-ranking or most senior member of a lower court or circuit court with more than one judge. * Chief judge (Australia) * Chief judge (United States) In supreme courts Some of Chief ...

(later Chief Justice) of the

in 1976 and held this until his retirement in 1990. Bowen was one of only six politicians to have served in both the

Parliament of Australia The Parliament of Australia (officially the Parliament of the Commonwealth and also known as the Federal Parliament) is the federal legislature of Australia. It consists of three elements: the Monarchy of Australia, monarch of Australia (repr ...

and the

, alongside

Merv Everett Mervyn George Everett (7 October 1917 – 27 October 1988) was an Australian politician and judge. Born in Hobart, Tasmania, Everett was educated at the University of Tasmania before becoming a barrister. In 1964, he was elected to the Tasmania ...

Tony Whitlam Antony Philip Whitlam (born 7 January 1944) is an Australian lawyer who has been a politician and judge. He is the son of Gough Whitlam (former Prime Minister) and Margaret Whitlam. Early life and education Whitlam was born in Elizabeth Bay ...

, John Reeves and

Duncan Kerr Duncan James Colquhoun Kerr (born 26 February 1952) is a barrister. He is a former judge of the Federal Court of Australia. He also served as President of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal from 2012 to 2017. Kerr was previously a politician, ...

Personal life

In 1947, Bowen married Eileen Mullins, a nurse, with whom he had three daughters. He was widowed in 1983 and in 1984 remarried to Ermyn Krippner, a school principal. Bowen died in

Wahroonga, New South Wales Wahroonga is a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, 18 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government areas of Ku-ring-gai Council and Hornsby Shire. N ...

, on 27 September 1994, aged 83. He was granted a

state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements o ...

Honours

Nigel Bowen Commonwealth Law Courts Building

Bowen was appointed a

Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in 1976 and a

Companion of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...

in 1988. The Nigel Bowen Commonwealth Law Courts Building in Canberra was named in Bowen's honour.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowen, Nigel Hubert Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Parramatta Members of the Australian House of Representatives Chief justices of the Federal Court of Australia Judges of the Federal Court of Australia Judges of the Supreme Court of New South Wales 1911 births 1994 deaths Companions of the Order of Australia Australian Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Ministers for foreign affairs of Australia Australian monarchists Members of the Cabinet of Australia University of Sydney alumni Canadian emigrants to Australia Canadian monarchists People from Summerland, British Columbia Australian Army personnel of World War II People educated at The King's School, Parramatta Burials at Northern Suburbs Memorial Gardens Attorneys-general of Australia Australian MPs 1963–1966 Australian MPs 1966–1969 Australian MPs 1969–1972 Australian MPs 1972–1974