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Pope Alexander Cooper

Sir Pope Alexander Cooper was an attorney-general and a chief judge of the Supreme Court of Queensland, Australia.

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Sir Pope Cooper
Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly
for Bowen
In office
24 January 1881 – 5 January 1883
Preceded byHenry Beor
Succeeded byCharles Chubb
4th Chief Justice of Queensland
In office
21 October 1903 – 31 March 1922
Preceded bySamuel Griffith
Succeeded byThomas McCawley
Personal details
BornPope Alexander Cooper
(1846-05-12)12 May 1846
Died30 August 1923(1923-08-30) (aged 77)
Resting placeToowong Cemetery
SpouseAlice Frener Cooper (m.1873 d.1900)
Alma materUniversity of Sydney, University of London
OccupationBarrister, prosecutor, judge

Sir Pope Alexander Cooper KCMG (12 May 1846 – 30 August 1923) was an attorney-general and a chief judge of the Supreme Court of Queensland, Australia.

Career

There was animosity between the Labor government and the judges, playing out through a series of cases challenging government actions and legislation.1234 The parliament undermined his security of tenure by passing the Judges Retirement Act 1921 (Qld),5 the effect of which was that immediately upon proclamation three out of six judges, Cooper and Justices Real and Chubb were compulsorily retired, which permitted the government to appoint new judges, including Thomas McCawley as the new Chief Justice.467 Cooper died on 30 August 1923.8

Pope Alexander Cooper's headstone at Brisbane's Toowong Cemetery. source ↗

Legacy

He was knighted 1904 and was created a KCMG in 1908.

See also

See also

References

References

  1. Theodore v Duncan [1919] UKPC 34, [1919] AC 696; (1919) 26 CLR 276, Privy Council (on appeal from Australia).
  2. In re McCawley [1918] St R Qd 62, Supreme Court (Full Court) (Qld). overturned by McCawley v The King [1920] UKPC 22, [1920] AC 691; (1920) 28 CLR 106, Privy Council (on appeal from Australia).
  3. Taylor v Attorney-General (Qld) [1918] St R Qd 194, Privy Council.
  4. Aroney, N (2006). "Politics, Law and the Constitution in McCawley's Case". Melbourne University Law Review. (2006) 30(3) Melbourne University Law Review 605.
  5. Judges Retirement Act 1921 (Qld).
  6. McGarvie The Foundations of Judicial Independence in a Modern Democracy (1991) 1 Journal of Judicial Administration 3.
  7. McPherson, BH (1989). The Supreme Court of Queensland 1859-1960. Butterworths. pp. 287–291 & 299–305. ISBN 0409494445.
  8. Gill, J.C.H. (1981). "Cooper, Sir Pope Alexander (1846 - 1923)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 8. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943.
External links