Sir John Latham | |
|---|---|
&sq=Envato&lang=en&file=File:John_Latham_1931.jpg) Latham in 1931 | |
| Chief Justice of Australia | |
| In office 11 October 1935 – 7 April 1952 | |
| Nominated by | Joseph Lyons |
| Appointed by | Sir Isaac Isaacs |
| Preceded by | Sir Frank Gavan Duffy |
| Succeeded by | Sir Owen Dixon |
| Attorney-General of Australia | |
| In office 6 January 1932 – 12 October 1934 | |
| Prime Minister | Joseph Lyons |
| Preceded by | Frank Brennan |
| Succeeded by | Robert Menzies |
| Minister for External Affairs | |
| In office 6 January 1932 – 12 October 1934 | |
| Prime Minister | Joseph Lyons |
| Preceded by | James Scullin |
| Succeeded by | Sir George Pearce |
| Minister for Industry | |
| In office 6 January 1932 – 12 October 1934 | |
| Prime Minister | Joseph Lyons |
| Preceded by | James Scullin |
| Succeeded by | Robert Menzies |
| Leader of the Opposition | |
| In office 22 October 1929 – 7 May 1931 | |
| Prime Minister | James Scullin |
| Deputy | Henry Gullett |
| Preceded by | James Scullin |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Lyons |
| Leader of the Nationalist Party | |
| In office 22 October 1929 – 7 May 1931 | |
| Deputy | Henry Gullett |
| Preceded by | Stanley Bruce |
| Succeeded by | Party dissolved |
| Deputy Leader of the United Australia Party | |
| In office 7 May 1931 – 15 September 1934 | |
| Leader | Joseph Lyons |
| Preceded by | party established |
| Succeeded by | Robert Menzies |
| Minister for Industry | |
| In office 10 December 1928 – 22 October 1929 | |
| Prime Minister | Stanley Bruce |
| Preceded by | New title |
| Succeeded by | James Scullin |
| Attorney-General of Australia | |
| In office 18 December 1925 – 22 October 1929 | |
| Prime Minister | Stanley Bruce |
| Preceded by | Littleton Groom |
| Succeeded by | Frank Brennan |
| Member of the Australian Parliament for Kooyong | |
| In office 16 December 1922 – 7 August 1934 | |
| Preceded by | Robert Best |
| Succeeded by | Robert Menzies |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Greig Latham 26 August 1877 Ascot Vale, Victoria, Australia |
| Died | 25 July 1964 (aged 86) Richmond, Victoria, Australia |
| Political party | Liberal Union (1921–1925) Nationalist (1925–1931) United Australia (1931–1934) |
| Spouse | |
| Education | Scotch College |
| Alma mater | University of Melbourne |
Sir John Greig Latham GCMG PC QC (26 August 1877 – 25 July 1964) was an Australian lawyer, politician, and judge who served as the fifth Chief Justice of Australia, in office from 1935 to 1952. He had earlier served as Attorney-General of Australia under Stanley Bruce and Joseph Lyons, and was Leader of the Opposition from 1929 to 1931 as the final leader of the Nationalist Party.
Latham was born in Melbourne. He studied arts and law at the University of Melbourne, and was called to the bar in 1904. He soon became one of Victoria's best known barristers. In 1917, Latham joined the Royal Australian Navy as the head of its intelligence division. He served on the Australian delegation to the 1919 Paris Peace Conference, where he came into conflict with Prime Minister Billy Hughes. At the 1922 federal election, Latham was elected to parliament as an independent on an anti-Hughes platform. He got on better with Hughes' successor Stanley Bruce, and formally joined the Nationalist Party in 1925, subsequently winning promotion to cabinet as Attorney-General. He was also Minister for Industry from 1928, and was one of the architects of the unpopular industrial relations policy that contributed to the government's defeat at the 1929 election. Bruce lost his seat, and Latham was reluctantly persuaded to become Leader of the Opposition.
In 1931, Latham led the Nationalists into the new United Australia Party, joining with Joseph Lyons and other disaffected Labor MPs. Despite the Nationalists forming a larger proportion of the new party, he relinquished the leadership to Lyons, a better campaigner, thus becoming the first opposition leader to fail to contest a general election. In the Lyons government, Latham was the de facto deputy prime minister, serving both as Attorney-General and Minister for External Affairs. He retired from politics in 1934, and the following year was appointed to the High Court as Chief Justice. From 1940 to 1941, Latham took a leave of absence from the court to become the inaugural Australian Ambassador to Japan. He left office in 1952 after almost 17 years as Chief Justice; only Garfield Barwick has served for longer.