William Portus Cullen
Sir William Portus Cullen | |
|---|---|
| 7th Chief Justice of New South Wales | |
| In office 28 January 1910 – 27 January 1925 | |
| Appointed by | Viscount Chelmsford |
| Preceded by | Sir Frederick Darley |
| Succeeded by | Sir Philip Street |
| Lieutenant-Governor of New South Wales | |
| In office 30 March 1910 – 1 October 1930 | |
| Appointed by | Edward VII |
| Preceded by | Sir Frederick Darley |
| Succeeded by | Sir Philip Street |
| Member of the New South Wales Parliament for Camden | |
| In office 3 July 1891 – 17 July 1894 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas Garrett |
| Succeeded by | John Kidd |
| Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council | |
| In office 1895–1910 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 28 May 1855 Jamberoo, New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | 6 April 1935 (aged 79) Leura, New South Wales, Australia |
Sir William Portus Cullen KCMG KC (28 May 1855 – 6 April 1935) was an Australian barrister, the 7th Chief Justice of New South Wales,[1] Lieutenant-Governor of New South Wales,[2] and Chancellor of the University of Sydney.[3]
Early life and education
Cullen was born at Mount Johnston, near Jamberoo, New South Wales, the seventh son of John and Rebecca (née Clinton) Cullen. A brother, Joseph Cullen, was a Member of Parliament for both New South Wales and Western Australia. William was educated at country state schools, including Kiama, and the University of Sydney, where he won a scholarship.
William Cullen graduated B.A. with first class honours in classics in 1880, M.A. in 1882, LL.B. in 1885 and LL.D. in 1887.[4]
Legal career
Cullen was called to the bar in 1883. He argued before the Supreme Court of New South Wales and the High Court of Australia (an institution whose creation he had vigorously supported). He became a KC in 1905.[5] He regularly appeared in the High Court,[6] and was considered one of the leading barristers appearing in the High Court,[3] including appearing in R v Governor of South Australia; Ex parte Vardon,[7] Union Label case,[8] and the Steel Rails case.[9]
Political career
Cullen was a Federationist.
Late life
Cullen retired as Chief Justice in January 1925. He was Lieutenant-Governor until September 1930.[10] He administered the State of NSW on several occasions.[11] He died at Leura on 6 April 1935.[12]
He married in 1891 Lily, eldest daughter of the Hon. R. H. D. White, who died in 1931.[13] He was survived by two sons and a daughter. He was knighted in 1911 and created KCMG in 1912.
Eucalyptus cullenii was named for him.[14]
References
- ^ "Appointment of Chief Justice". NSW Gazette. 29 January 1910. p. 645 – via Trove.
- ^ "Appointment of William Portus Cullen Esq LL.D. to be Lieutenant-Governor". NSW Gazette. 6 May 1910. p. 2469 – via Trove.
- ^ a b "The Hon Sir William Portus Cullen KCMG". University of Sydney. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
- ^ Bennett, J.M. (1991). "Cullen, Sir William Portus (1855–1935)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943.
- ^ Fuller B.C. "Obituary Sir William Cullen". (1935) 9 Australian Law Journal 24.
- ^ "Search: Dr Cullen OR Cullen K.C." austlii.edu.au.
- ^ R v Governor of South Australia; Ex parte Vardon [1907] HCA 31, (1907) 4 CLR 1497.
- ^ Attorney-General for NSW v Brewery Employees Union of NSW (Union Label case) [1908] HCA 94, (1908) 6 CLR 469.
- ^ Attorney-General (NSW) v Collector of Customs (NSW) (Steel Rails case) [1908] HCA 28, (1908) 5 CLR 818.
- ^ "Sir William Cullen resigns Lieutenant-Governorship". The Sydney Morning Herald. 18 September 1930. p. 8 – via Trove.
- ^ "Part 1 Governors of New South Wales" (PDF). NSW Parliamentary Record. Parliament of New South Wales. p. 2. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ^ "Late Sir William Cullen". The Sydney Morning Herald. 9 April 1935. p. 10 – via Trove.
- ^ "Lady Cullen, Death at Leura announced". The Sydney Morning Herald. 11 June 1931. p. 10 – via Trove.
- ^ Serle, Percival (1949). "Cullen, William Portus". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Sydney: Angus & Robertson.