Sir Isaac Alfred Isaacs

Sir Isaac Alfred Isaacs , 1855-1948, Australian jurist and political leader. He sat in the colonial legislature (1892-1901), became solicitor general (1893), and served as attorney general (1894-99, 1900-1901). He was a framer of the commonwealth constitution and sat in the dominion Parliament (1901-6), becoming attorney general in 1905. He was for many years (1906-30) a high court justice and sat as chief justice (1930-31). His appointment (1931) as governor-general was the first made by the British crown directly on the advice of a dominion ministry. The first native-born Australian to hold that office, he served until 1936.

Isaacs, Sir Isaac Alfred (b. 6 Aug. 1855, d. 16 June 1948). Australian governor-general 1931–6 Born in Melbourne as the son of a Jewish tailor, he became a barrister and received the prestigious appointment of Queen's Counsel in 1899. He served in the Legislative Assembly of the State of Victoria (1892–1901), and was a Protectionist member of the House of Representatives (1901–6), serving as Attorney-General in 1905–6. Appointed to the high court in 1906, he interpreted law in favour of an extension of federal power against the individual states. He became Chief Justice in 1930. He was the first Jewish and the first Australian-born governor-general of Australia.