John Vincent Barry
Encyclopedia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n justice
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
of the Supreme Court of Victoria
Supreme Court of Victoria
The Supreme Court of Victoria is the superior court for the State of Victoria, Australia. It was founded in 1852, and is a superior court of common law and equity, with unlimited jurisdiction within the state...
, and an expert in criminology
Criminology
Criminology is the scientific study of the nature, extent, causes, and control of criminal behavior in both the individual and in society...
. Born the eldest child of William Edward Barry and Sarah Lena Jeanette, née Keene in Albury, New South Wales
Albury, New South Wales
Albury is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia, located on the Hume Highway on the northern side of the Murray River. It is located wholly within the boundaries of the City of Albury Local Government Area...
, Barry was educated in St Patrick's College
St Patrick's College
Saint Patrick's College or Saint Patrick College may refer to:In Australia:* St Patrick's College, Ballarat, Victoria* St Patrick's College, Campbelltown, New South Wales* St Patrick's College, Mackay, Queensland...
, a small convent school in Goulburn
Goulburn, New South Wales
Goulburn is a provincial city in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia in Goulburn Mulwaree Council Local Government Area. It is located south-west of Sydney on the Hume Highway and above sea-level. On Census night 2006, Goulburn had a population of 20,127 people...
. In 1921, he finished his tertiary education
Tertiary education
Tertiary education, also referred to as third stage, third level, and post-secondary education, is the educational level following the completion of a school providing a secondary education, such as a high school, secondary school, university-preparatory school...
in the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
. After being articled to the legal firm, Luke Murphy and Company, in 1921, Barry qualified as a lawyer in 1923, as a result of graduation from the articled clerks' course.
On 3 May 1926, Barry was admitted to the Victorian Bar
Victorian Bar
The Victorian Bar is the bar association for the Australian State of Victoria. Its members are barristers registered to practice in Victoria. On 19 January 2006, there were 1627 counsel practising as members of the Victorian Bar. Once a barrister has been admitted to practice by the Supreme Court...
, and began his practice as a barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
. During his time as a barrister, he was known for a jury practice
Jury trial
A jury trial is a legal proceeding in which a jury either makes a decision or makes findings of fact which are then applied by a judge...
and later, an appellate
Court of Appeals
A court of appeals is an appellate court generally.Court of Appeals may refer to:*Military Court of Appeals *Corte d'Assise d'Appello *Philippine Court of Appeals*High Court of Appeals of Turkey*United States courts of appeals...
and High Court
High Court of Australia
The High Court of Australia is the supreme court in the Australian court hierarchy and the final court of appeal in Australia. It has both original and appellate jurisdiction, has the power of judicial review over laws passed by the Parliament of Australia and the parliaments of the States, and...
practice. After watching a murder trial, in which the accused was convicted and hanged, Barry became opposed to the use of the death penalty. In Mosman
Mosman, New South Wales
Mosman is a suburb on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Mosman is located 8 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the Municipality of Mosman.-Localities:In February...
, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, on 16 August 1930, Barry married Ethel May Pryor. A foundation vice-president of the Australian Council for Civil Liberties
Australian Council for Civil Liberties
The Australian Council for Civil Liberties is a Civil Liberties group based in Australia. The president of this organisation is currently Terry O'Gorman who is also the vice president of the Queensland Council for Civil Liberties....
from 1935, Barry became the foundation secretary of the Medico-Legal Society of Victoria.
In 1939, Barry joined the Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
and ran, unsuccessfully, for the federal seat of Balaclava
Division of Wakefield
The Division of Wakefield is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of South Australia. It is located north of Adelaide, incorporating the outer northern suburbs of Salisbury and Elizabeth, and extending north as far as Clare. It covers the east coast of the Gulf St Vincent north of...
in the electoral year of 1943
Politics of Australia
The Politics of Australia take place within the framework of a parliamentary democracy, with electoral procedures appropriate to a two-party system. Australia is governed as a federation and as a constitutional monarchy, with an adversarial legislature based upon the Westminster system...
. However, he later became a member of the Victorian central executive in 1945–47, as well as becoming a member of the Overseas Telecommunications Commission
Overseas Telecommunications Commission
The Overseas Telecommunications Commission was established by an Act of Parliament in August 1946. It inherited facilities and resources from Amalgamated Wireless Australasia Limited and Cable & Wireless, and was charged with responsibility for all international telecommunications services into,...
in 1946-47. He was also elected chairman of the ethics committee of the Australian Journalists' Association, after becoming a member in 1943. Appointed as a King's Counsel (now known as the Senior Counsel) in 1942, Barry assisted Sir Charles Lowe in the inquiry into the Darwin air raids. Representing the politician, Eddie Ward
Eddie Ward
Edward John "Eddie" Ward , Australian politician, was an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives for 32 years from 1931 until his death....
in a royal commission
Royal Commission
In Commonwealth realms and other monarchies a Royal Commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue. They have been held in various countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia...
into the Brisbane Line
Brisbane Line
The "Brisbane Line" was a controversial defence proposal allegedly formulated during World War II to concede the northern portion of the Australian continent in the event of an invasion by the Japanese...
, Barry was appointed commissioner to investigate the suspension of government in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
.
Although failing to be appointed to the High Court
High Court of Australia
The High Court of Australia is the supreme court in the Australian court hierarchy and the final court of appeal in Australia. It has both original and appellate jurisdiction, has the power of judicial review over laws passed by the Parliament of Australia and the parliaments of the States, and...
despite Arthur Calwell
Arthur Calwell
Arthur Augustus Calwell Australian politician, was a member of the Australian House of Representatives for 32 years from 1940 to 1972, Immigration Minister in the government of Ben Chifley from 1945 to 1949 and Leader of the Australian Labor Party from 1960 to 1967.-Early life:Calwell was born in...
's endorsement in the cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
, Barry was appointed to the Supreme Court of Victoria in 14 January 1947. Barry became a foundation chairman in the Department of Criminology at the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
from 1951, and a member of the Victorian Parole Board from 1957, and was knighted
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
in the 1961 New Year Honours
New Year Honours
The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, being a civic occasion on the New Year annually in which new members of most Commonwealth Realms honours are named. The awards are presented by the reigning monarch or head of state, currently Queen Elizabeth II...
. In 1966, Barry graduated from the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Law, after serving nearly 20 years in the Supreme Court. From 1966, until his death in 1969, Barry was the senior Puisne Judge of the Supreme Court. He died of cancer in 8 November 1969 at Armadale, Melbourne and was cremated.
A prolific writer, Barry wrote many books and articles, most of which concern criminology. One of his well-known biographies, Alexander Maconochie of Norfolk Island, which he wrote in 1958, was described as "a fascinating tale ... Justice Barry has permeated it with warmth and understanding." Authoring the biography on John Price
John Giles Price (commandant)
John Giles Price , magistrate and penal administrator, was the only civilian to command the second convict settlement at Norfolk Island, being in charge from 6 August 1846 to 18 January 1853....
, The Life and Death of John Price: A Study in the Exercise of Naked Power, Barry was also a contributor to the Australian Law Journal as well as the Australian Dictionary of Biography. A collection of letters he has written prior to his death were published posthumously as The Courts and Criminal Punishments.
Additional reading
http://adbonline.anu.edu.au/biogs/A130146b.htmBarry, Sir John Vincent William (1903 - 1969) Australian Dictionary of Biography - Online edition Australian National UniversityAustralian National University
The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...
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