Isaacs, Sir Isaac Alfred

Isaacs, Sir Isaac Alfred (ī'zuks) [key], 1855–1948, Australian jurist and political leader. He sat in the colonial legislature (1892–1901), became solicitor general (1893), and served as attorney general (1894–99, 1900–1901). He was a framer of the commonwealth constitution and sat in the dominion Parliament (1901–6), becoming attorney general in 1905. He was for many years (1906–30) a high court justice and sat as chief justice (1930–31). His appointment (1931) as governor-general was the first made by the British crown directly on the advice of a dominion ministry. The first native-born Australian to hold that office, he served until 1936.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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