Zelman Cowen

Zelman Cowen, 1968

Sir Zelman Cowen AK , GCMG , GCVO , KStJ , QC (born October 7, 1919 in Melbourne , † December 8, 2011 in Toorak , Victoria ) was an Australian legal scholar , politician and Governor General of Australia from 1977 to 1982 .

biography

Studies and professional career as a law professor

After attending school he began in 1936 to study arts and law at the University of Melbourne , in the course of which he was awarded a Supreme Court award in 1941. After the outbreak of World War II , however, he had to interrupt his studies in order to serve as a soldier in the intelligence service of the Royal Australian Navy between 1941 and 1945 . First he was stationed in Darwin during the Japanese air raid on Darwin in February 1942 , before he was later employed as a second lieutenant on the staff of General Douglas MacArthur in Brisbane .

After the end of the Second World War he received a Rhodes scholarship , which he was awarded in 1940 and enabled him to continue his studies at New College (Oxford) , which he graduated with a Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) in 1947. Following this, he was from 1947 to 1950 as a guest lecturer ( Fellow ) at Oriel College of Oxford University and at the same time legal adviser to the British government in Germany operates.

After returning to Australia, he was Professor of Public Law and Dean of the Law Faculty of the University of Melbourne from 1951 to 1966 . During this time, he was also visiting professor at several US universities, such as the University of Chicago , the University of Illinois and the University of Washington . He was also a constitutional advisor to the British Colonial Office and legal advisor to the Ghana and Hong Kong governments .

In 1966 he was appointed Vice Chancellor of the University of New England in Armidale , before he was then Vice Chancellor of the University of Queensland in Brisbane from 1970 to 1977 . At the time, he was regarded as one of the leading constitutional lawyers in the English-speaking world. As Vice Chancellor, he was confronted with student protests over the Vietnam War at the University of Queensland, which he met with diplomatic skill. He was also the holder of a Tagore professorship in law at the University of Calcutta . In 1969 he also became a board member of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem . Most recently he was Federal Commissioner for Law Reform (Law Reform Commissioner of the Commonwealth of Australia) from 1976 to 1977 .

Governor General of Australia

After Sir John Robert Kerr's early resignation, Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser offered him the post of Governor General of Australia . After being appointed by Queen Elizabeth II , he officially assumed the office of 19th Governor General after being sworn in on December 8, 1977.

His choice was considered perfect by many. For one thing, he was a well-deserved Australian with international repute, whose professional knowledge was beyond doubt. On the other hand, his political views were unknown because he had never applied for public office before. The fact that he was of Jewish faith also gave his appointment a multicultural aspect in the treatment of the Australian sentiment of the time.

During his tenure, which lasted until July 29, 1982, he succeeded in restoring the dignity and respect of the governor-general after Kerr's most recently heavily criticized tenure. At the same time, during his tenure, during which Fraser was exclusively prime minister, there were no particular disputes on constitutional issues. Successor in the office of Governor General was the previous Supreme Court Justice Sir Ninian Stephen .

Later offices and family

After resigning from the office of Governor General, he was Provost of Oriel College from 1982 to 1990 , and was also Pro-Vice Chancellor from 1988 to 1990. In addition, Sir Zelman Cowen was Chairman of the British Press Council between 1983 and 1988.

After his return to Australia, he became involved in the Jewish community in Melbourne and was ultimately one of the most important representatives of Jewish life in Australia. As such, he also campaigned for an understanding between Christianity and Judaism , especially as a member of the Australian Council of Christians and Jews, of which he was a patron in 2004. He was also a member of the supervisory board of the newspaper publisher John Fairfax Holdings for five years , of which he was chairman for three years. He was also chairman (patron) of St. Kilda Football Club .

During the 1999 referendum debate on the establishment of a Republic of Australia , he took a moderate Republican stance.

His son, Rabbi Shimon Cowen, is the director of the Institute for Judaism and Civilization in Melbourne .

death

Zelman Cowen died on December 8, 2011, exactly 34 years to the day after his inauguration as Australian Governor General.

Honors

In 1965, Cowen was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences . He was beaten to a Knight Bachelor degree in 1976 and was henceforth allowed to use the suffix "Sir". After his appointment as Governor General, he was awarded the title of Knight Commander of the Order of St. Michael and St. George (KCMG) and Knight of the Order of Australia (AK) in 1977 . During the Queen's state visit to Australia in 1980, he was also elevated to the Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order . He was also appointed to the Privy Council in 1981 , a political advisory body to Queen Elizabeth II.

Finally, the Royal Australian Institute of Architects founded the Zelman Cowen Award for Public Buildings in 1981, which is now the most prestigious architectural award for the construction of public buildings. In addition, the Sir Zelman Cowen University Foundation was established at the University of Sydney and the Sir Zelman Cowen Center was established at Victoria University .

Publications

Sir Zelman Cowen was also active throughout his life as the author of legal as well as historical works such as a biography of Sir Isaac Isaacs , the first in Australia and at the same time the first Jewish Governor General. His most important publications include:

• Fair Trial Vs. A free press. 1965.
• The British Commonwealth Of Nations in a changing world: Law, Politics and Prospects. 1965.
• Isaac Isaacs. 1967.
• Federal Jurisdiction in Australia. 1978, ISBN 0-19-550054-7 .
• A Public Life: Memoirs of Zelman Cowen. 2006, ISBN 0-522-85270-X .

Web links

• Portraits of the Governors General of Australia
• Biography on the homepage of the Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Center ( memento of March 18, 2012 in the Internet Archive )

Individual evidence

1. ↑ governor general 'healed' a nation
2. ^ Deans of the Law Faculty of the University of Melbourne
3. ↑ Suzan D. Rutland: The Jews In Australia. 2005.
4. ^ Australian Council of Christians and Jews. ( Memento from October 18, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
5. ↑ An Australian Republic: A Guide For The Perplexed. ( Memento from August 28, 2006 in the Internet Archive )
6. ^ The University of Sydney - Sir Zelman Cowen Universities Fund
7. ↑ Victoria University - Sir Zelman Cowen Center ( September 11, 2009 memento in the Internet Archive )

predecessor	Office	successor
Sir John Robert Kerr	Governor General of Australia 1977–1982	Sir Ninian Stephen