George Ligertwood

Sir George Coutts Ligertwood (1888 - 1967) was a Judge of the Supreme Court of South Australia (12 July 1945 - 14 October 1958).

Summary

* Born 15 October 1888, Maylands, a suburb of Adelaide, South Australia
* Educated at Norwood Public school, the Pupil Teachers' school, and the University of Adelaide (B.A., 1908; LL.B., 1910)
* Admitted to the Bar on 15 December 1910
* Became acting-master of the Supreme Court in 1914
* Married Edith Emily Naismith at the Methodist Church, Upper Sturt, on 6 April 1915
* Enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 6 May 1918
* Returned to South Australia in 1919 and was a partner in the firm Baker, McEwin, Ligertwood & Millhouse
* President (1935-37 and 1941-43) of the Law Society of South Australia
* Member (1937 and 1942-43) of the executive-committee of the Law Council of Australia
* Appointed K.C. on 28 August 1930 (Kings Counsel)
* Served on the bench of the Supreme Court from 12 July 1945 until his retirement in 1958
* The Federal government appointed Ligertwood to three royal commissions.
** 1945 - Appointed Royal Commissioner by Prime Minister Ben Chifley to look into the conduct of LtGen Gordon Bennett
** 1949 - Royal commission into timber-leases in New Guinea
** 1954-55 One of three commissioners who examined espionage in Australia
* Knighted in 1956
* 1959 - Appointed royal commissioner by the Western Australian government to inquire into betting
* Chaired the Federal committee on taxation (1959-61)
*
* Chaired the South Australian committee on assessment for land tax (1962-64)
* Received an honorary LL.D. from the University of Western Australia in 1963
* Received an honorary LL.D. from the University of Adelaide in 1964
* Chaired a committee on the salaries of South Australian parliamentarians
* Died on 13 October 1967 in Adelaide

Other

* Member (from 1929) of the Adelaide Club
* 1930-67 - A governor of Scotch College, Adelaide
* a prominent Freemason

At the University of Adelaide:
* examiner in wrongs (1913-15)
* examiner in property (1917 and 1919-26)
* member of council from 1942
* warden of the senate (1945-59)
* Deputy-chancellor (1958-61)
* Chancellor (1961-66)
* Chaired the planning committee for the Flinders University of South Australia (founded 1966).
* Patron of the Adelaide University Football Club (1966)

References

* [http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A150121b.htm "Ligertwood, Sir George Coutts (1888 - 1967)"] , Australian Dictionary of Biography