Sir Frank Gavan Duffy KCMG PC (born 1852, died 1936), Australian judge, was the fourth Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia, sitting on the bench of the High Court from 1913 to 1935.

Early life

Duffy was born in Dublin, Ireland, on February 29 1852, the son of Sir Charles Gavan Duffy, who was later to become a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly. He traveled to Australia with his family in 1856, but later returned to England to study at Stonyhurst College. In 1869 Duffy returned to Australia and attended the University of Melbourne, graduating in 1872 with a Bachelor of Arts. At this time, he began to work in the public service, and started to study law.

Legal career

In 1874, Duffy was called to the Victorian Bar, and began practicing as a barrister in 1875. Over the next few years, Duffy contributed to the second edition of Casey's Justices Manual, published in 1879, and in the same year founded the Australian Law Times. He edited this publication until 1883. Over the next twenty years, Duffy published many more works on various pieces of legislation.

Duffy was caught up in the financial crisis of 1893, but over time paid back his debts. He was appointed a Queen's Counsel in 1900, and between 1902 and 1910 he lectured on contract law at the University of Melbourne. In 1907, Duffy became the editor of the Victorian Law Reports . By 1910, Duffy was widely regarded as the most prominent Victorian lawyer, and the unofficial leader of the Victorian Bar.

Judicial career

Duffy was appointed to the bench of the High Court of Australia in 1913. Seventeen years later, in 1931, when Sir Isaac Isaacs was made Governor-General, he took over as Chief Justice of the High Court. He retired from the bench in 1935 at age eighty-three. He had planned to deliver a series of lectures on Australian constitutional law at Harvard University's tercentenary early in 1936, but was too ill. He died after a brief illness on July 29 1936. He was survived by his wife and three sons, among them Charles Leonard Gavan Duffy , later a Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria.

Honours

Duffy was created a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in 1929. Duffy had been made a member of the Privy Council (PC) in 1932.

References

• Dictionary of Australian Biography (1949 ed, in the public domain) – entry on Sir Frank Gavan Duffy