Peter Underwood

Infobox Governor
honorific-prefix = His Excellency The Honourable
name = Peter George Underwood

honorific-suffix = AO


imagesize =
small

caption =
order = 27^th
office = Governor of Tasmania
term_start = April 2, 2008
term_end =
lieutenant =
premier = Paul Lennon, David Bartlett
monarch = Queen Elizabeth II
predecessor = William Cox AC RFD ED QC
successor =
birth_date = 1937
birth_place = United Kingdom
death_date =
death_place =
nationality =flagicon|Australia Australian
party =
otherparty =
spouse = Frances
partner =
relations =
children =
residence = Government House, Hobart
alma_mater = University of Tasmania
occupation =
profession =
net worth =
religion =


website = http://www.dpac.tas.gov.au/governor/
footnotes =

Peter George Underwood AO is currently the Governor of Tasmania. He was formerly the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Tasmania from 2004 to 2008, having been a judge of that court from 1984.

Peter Underwood was born in 1937 in the United Kingdom, and emigrated to Australia in 1950. He served in the Royal Australian Navy first as a National Serviceman and then in the Reserve as a sub-lieutenant. He graduated from the University of Tasmania in 1960, and practised law in Hobart for the law firm Murdoch, Clarke, Cosgrove and Drake. He was a distinguished trial advocate for over twenty years. He was appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court in August 1984.

He has previously managed and taught postgraduate courses in advocacy and Supreme Court practice through the University of Tasmania's Centre for Legal Practice, and continues to teach advocacy in all states of Australia with the Advocacy Institute of Australia. He has also taught for The College of Law (UK) in Hong Kong and London. [http://www.premier.tas.gov.au/speeches/cox-ms.html Premier of Tasmania - speech on appointment of Chief Justice] ]

Justice Underwood has a special interest in the reform of civil procedure. He pioneered case management in Tasmania in 1989 and was instrumental in the development and use of technology as an aid to judicial work.

He has also served as chairman of the Board of Governors of the Friends' School from 1989 to 1994, and was chairman of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra Board from 1997 to 2006.

In 2001, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in recognition of his services to legal education, the arts and the administration of justice.

In June 2002 Justice Underwood became an officer of the Order of Australia. [ [http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=1040442&search_type=quick&showInd=true Australian Honours website] ]

He was appointed to the office of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Tasmania on 2 December 2004. [http://www.supremecourt.tas.gov.au/about_us/judges/current_judges Supreme Court: Current Judges] ]

Chief Justice Underwood is the Deputy President of the Australian Defence Force Disciplinary Appeal Tribunal and was the President of the Australian Institute of Judicial Administration from 2002 to September 2004. [http://www.defenceappeals.gov.au/members1.html Defence Force Appeals Tribunal - Peter Underwood] ]

On 3 March 2008, Premier Paul Lennon announced the appointment of Peter Underwood as the next Governor of Tasmania, and he was sworn in on 2 April 2008. [cite news|url=http://www.news.com.au/mercury/story/0,22884,23310256-921,00.html|title=Peter Underwood named new Governor|date=2008-03-03|accessdate=2008-03-03|publisher=The Mercury]

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