Owen Dixon OM GCMG PC (1886 - 1972)

Born 28 Apr 1886 in Hawthorn, Victoria (Australia)

Husband of Alice Crossland (Brooksbank) Dixon — married 8 Jan 1920 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Died 7 Jul 1972 at age 86 in Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia

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Biography

Owen Dixon OM GCMG PC is Notable.

Sir Owen Dixon OM GCMG PC KC MA LLB was an Australian judge and diplomat who served as the sixth Chief Justice of Australia. He served as a justice of the High Court for 35 years, including a 12 year period as Chief Justice.

Owen Dixon OM GCMG PC was born in the Colony of Victoria (1851-1900)

Owen Dixon OM GCMG PC has English ancestors.

Owen Dixon was born on 28th April 1886 in Hawthorn, Victoria (Australia). He was the son of Yorkshire-born parents, Joseph Dixon, a solicitor and barrister, and Edith Owen. ^[1]

After completing his formal education at Hawthorn College, Owen entered the University of Melbourne, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1907, Bachelor of Laws (LLB) in 1908 and Master of Arts (MA) a year later.

Owen was a Barrister and Judge

He was admitted to the Victorian Bar in 1909 at the age of 23. In December 1911, he appeared before the High Court of Australia for the first time, aged 25 years.

Owen married Alice Brooksbank on 8th January 1920 in St Paul's Anglican Cathedral, Melbourne. ^[2] The couple subsequently had four children:

1. Franklin Owen (1922-77)
2. Edward Owen 'Ted' (1924-94)
3. Elizabeth Brooksbank Owen 'Betty' (1929-2018), and
4. Anne Helen Owen (1934-79)

His career soon became stellar, and he was made a King's Counsel (KC) in 1922. At the time of his appointment to the High Court of Australia in 1929, Owen was the acknowledged leader of the Bar in Victoria and, indeed, Australia.

Owen was created Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in the New year Honours 1941 as a Judge of the High Court. ^[3]

From 1942 to 1944, Owen took leave from his judicial duties while he served as Australia's Ambassador to the United States. In 1950, he was invited by the United Nations to act as their official mediator between the governments of India and Pakistan over the disputed territory of Kashmir. In 1951, he was appointed a member of the Privy Council (PC), the English judicial organ which, at that point in time, was the final court of appeal in Australian legal matters. However, he chose not to sit on the Privy Council. In 1952, he was appointed Chief Justice of the High Court.

Owen's knighthood was upgraded to Knight Grand Cross of the Order (GCMG) in the Queen's Birthday Honours 1954 as Chief Justice of the the High Court. ^[4] He was appointed to the Order of Merit (OM) on 29th May 1963. ^[5]

He retired from the High Court in 1964. Shortly afterward, he turned down an offer to be appointed Australia's Governor-General, because he considered himself 'too old'.

In 1955 Yale University awarded Owen the Harry E Howland Memorial Prize 'for services to mankind'. He was bestowed with honorary doctorates from the Universities of Oxford (DCL, 1958), Harvard (LLD, 1958) and Melbourne (LLD, 1959), and the Australian National University (LLD, 1964). In 1970 he became a Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy.

During the early part of his retirement, he read extensively, particularly in the classics, until failing eyesight made this increasingly difficult. His son, Franklin, often read aloud to him. Aged 86 years and having been widowed for a year, he passed away on 7th July 1972 at home in Hawthorn and is buried in Boroondara General Cemetery, Kew. ^[6]

Sources

1. ↑ Victoria Birth Index #10858/1886
2. ↑ Victoria Marriage Index #585/1920
3. ↑ Australian Honours: KCMG; accessed 13 Dec 2023
4. ↑ Australian Honours: GCMG; accessed 13 Dec 2023
5. ↑ Australian Honours: OM; accessed 13 Dec 2023
6. ↑ Victoria Death Index #15959/1972

See also

• Anderson, Grant and Dawson, Daryl. 'Dixon, Sir Owen (1886–1972)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, published first in hardcopy 1996; accessed online 13 Dec 2023.
• Wikipedia: Owen Dixon; accessed 13 Dec 2023.