Henry Stephen (judge)

The Honourable
Sir Henry Stephen
Member of the New South Wales Parliament
for Mudgee
In office
16 December 1869 – 12 December 1871
Preceded bySamuel Terry
Succeeded byHenry Parkes
Judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales
In office
19 May 1887 – 25 February 1904
Personal details
Born
Matthew Henry Stephen

(1828-12-05)5 December 1828
Hobart, Van Diemen's Land
Died1 April 1920(1920-04-01) (aged 91)
Bellevue Hill NSW
Spouse(s)Caroline Sibella née Shadforth
Florence Sophie, née Huthwaite
Parent(s)Sir Alfred Stephen, Mary Anne, née Pasmore
OccupationBarrister, politician, judge

Sir Matthew Henry Stephen (5 December 1828 – 1 April 1920), was a politician and Puisne Judge in New South Wales.[1]

The Stephen family is a prominent legal dynasty in Australia.[2] Stephen was the eldest son of the Hon. Sir Alfred Stephen KCMG CB (1802–1894), who would later become Chief Justice of NSW and Lieutenant-Governor of NSW,[3] and was born at Hobart, Van Diemen's Land (later named Tasmania).[4] He was called to the New South Wales Bar in 1850, and was appointed a Queen's Counsel (QC) in 1879. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for Mudgee from December 1869 to December 1871,[1] and was a Supreme Court Judge from 1887. He married on 30 September 1854, Caroline Sibella, daughter of Henry Tudor Shadforth, formerly of the 57th Regiment, and Usher of the Black Rod, New South Wales. Sir Henry was Chancellor of the Church of England diocese of Sydney.[4]

Stephen was senior vice-president of the New South Wales Cricket Association and from 1895, was a fellow of the Royal Colonial Institute.[5] Stephen died at Bellevue Hill, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on 1 April 1920, survived by his second wife (Florence Sophie, née Huthwaite) and by Caroline, his only daughter from his first marriage.[5]

  1. ^ a b "Sir Matthew Henry Stephen (1828-1920)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
  2. ^ Fox, K (17 February 2015). "Australian Legal Dynasties: The Stephens and the Streets". Australian Dictionary of Biography.
  3. ^ Rutledge, M. "Stephen, Sir Alfred (1802–1894)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943.
  4. ^ a b Mennell, Philip (1892). "Stephen, His Honour Matthew Henry" . The Dictionary of Australasian Biography. London: Hutchinson & Co – via Wikisource.
  5. ^ a b Rutledge, Martha. "Stephen, Sir Matthew Henry (1828–1920)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 17 September 2013.