Douglas Menzies

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Sir Douglas Ian Menzies KBE (7 September 1907 – 29 November 1974) was an Australian judge, serving as a Justice of the High Court of Australia. He was also Chancellor of Monash University from 1968 until his death in 1974.

Early life[]

Menzies was born in Ballarat, Victoria, to Annie Wilson (née Copeland) and Rev. Francis Menzies. He was a nephew of Hugh and James Menzies and a first cousin of Sir Robert Menzies. Menzies was educated at Hobart High School and Devonport High School in Tasmania, before returning to Victoria to study at the University of Melbourne. He graduated with a Master of Laws, having been awarded the Jessie Leggatt and E. J. B. Num Scholarships, and having won the Supreme Court of Victoria's Prize in Law.

Legal career[]

In 1930, Menzies was admitted to the Victorian Bar, where he practised as a barrister. From 1941 to 1945, he was secretary to the Defence Committee and Chiefs of Staff, and from 1941 to 1950 he was a lecturer at the University of Melbourne. From 1956 to 1958, Menzies was the president of the Law Council of Australia, and in 1958, served as president of the Victorian Bar Council.

High Court[]

Menzies was appointed to the bench of the High Court on 12 June 1958, by the government of Robert Menzies, his cousin. Despite this close family connection, the appointment caused no political commentary.^[1] Later that year was made a Knight of the Order of the British Empire. In 1963, he was elevated to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, and in 1968 was made the Chancellor of Monash University. He served on the bench of the High Court until his death on 29 November 1974. Menzies collapsed suddenly at the New South Wales Bar's annual Bench and Bar Dinner and was taken to nearby Sydney Hospital. According to a story often told by retired High Court Justice Michael Kirby, Menzies died three places ahead of Kirby, in the servery line in the Bar's common room.^[2] He was cremated.

References[]

1. ^ "Australia's Courts - a Quarter Century of Change". High Court of Australia. Archived from the original on 15 June 2005. Retrieved 26 December 2005.
2. ^ Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 29 May 2020