John Robert Kerr AK GCMG (1914 - 1991)

Born 24 Sep 1914 in Balmain South, New South Wales, Australia

Ancestors

Husband of Alison (Worstead) Kerr — married 1938 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Died 24 Mar 1991 at age 76 in Kirribilli, New South Wales, Australia

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Preceded by Sir Paul Hasluck KG GCMG GCVO

18th Governor-General of Australia 11 Jul 1974 - 8 Dec 1977

Succeeded by Sir Zelman Cowen AK GCMG GCVO PC QC

Biography

John Kerr AK GCMG is Notable.

Sir John Robert Kerr AK GCMG GCVO KStJ PC QC was the 18th Governor-General of Australia. He dismissed the Labor government of Gough Whitlam on 11th November 1975, marking the climax of the most significant constitutional crisis in Australian history. He had previously been the 13th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales.

Born John Robert Kerr on 24th September 1914 at Balmain, New South Wales, Australia, John was the older son of Harry Kerr and Laura Cardwell.^[1] Kerr's parents and maternal grandparents were Australian-born, while his paternal grandparents came from Sunderland, England, arriving in Sydney in 1886. He came from a line of waterside workers—his father was a boilermaker, his grandfather was a stevedore, and his great-grandfather was a shipwright. Kerr began his education at the Birchgrove Public School. He won a scholarship to attend the prestigious Fort Street Boys' High School, where he excelled academically. In 1932, Kerr began studying law at the University of Sydney. He again excelled academically, winning a number of prizes.

Kerr married Alison "Peggy" Worstead in 1938 in Sydney, New South Wales,^[2] with whom he had three children.

Kerr eventually graduated in 1936 with first-class honours and the University Medal. He was called to the New South Wales bar in 1938. He spent the Second World War years working for the Australian intelligence organisation and think tank, the Directorate of Research and Civil Affairs. In 1946 he became principal of the Australian School of Pacific Administration and the first Secretary-General of the South Pacific Commission. In 1966 Kerr was appointed a judge of the Commonwealth Industrial Court and, later, to several other judicial positions. During this period his political views became more conservative. He became a friend of Sir Garfield Barwick, the Liberal attorney-general who became Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia in 1964. Kerr was the first chairman of the Law Association for Asia and the Western Pacific (LawAsia). Kerr was appointed Chief Justice of New South Wales in 1972.

Kerr was announced as Governor-General-designate on 27th February 1974, by which time he had become Sir John Kerr.

On 9th September 1974 his wife Peggy died after a long illness, aged 59. In April 1975, he married Anne Robson, who had recently divorced her first husband, Hugh Robson QC, a New South Wales judge and former colleague of Kerr's.

He passed away on 24th March 1991 at Kirribilli, New South Wales. He was buried at Macquarie Park Cemetery and Crematorium, Macquarie Park, New South Wales. He was survived by his second wife and his children, Gabrielle Kibble, a town planner and later NSW State Director of Planning, Kristin Johnson, a psychiatrist, and Philip Kerr, a solicitor.

Honours

• Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG, New Years Honours 1966, for services as President of the Law Council of Australia.
• Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG), New Years Honours of 1974, for services as Chief Justice of NSW.
• Knight of the Order of St John of Jerusalem, 1974.
• Companion of the Order of Australia (AC), 1975.
• Knight Commander of the Order of Australia (AK), 1976.
• Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG), 1976.
• Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO), an award within the personal gift of the Sovereign, for services as Governor-General, 1977.
• Privy Counsellor, 1977.

Sources

1. ↑ New South Wales Birth Index #29721/1914
2. ↑ New South Wales Marriage Index #18599/1938

See also

• Peter Edwards, 'Kerr, Sir John Robert (1914–1991)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, published online 2017, accessed online 2 Sep 2017.
• Wikipedia profile: John Kerr; accessed 2 Sep 2017.