Edward Williams (judge)
Encyclopedia
Sir Edward Stratten Williams KCMG
KBE
QC
(29 December 1921 – 10 January 1999) was appointed as a judge to the Supreme Court of Queensland
, which is the highest ranking court
in the Australian state of Queensland.
In March 1944 Williams enrolled as an external student at the University of London in the Faculty of Law completing his final LLB examinations in June 1946. He graduated from the University of London in Law with Second Class Honours in June 1946.
Williams was appointed to the court on 13 May 1971 and served until he retired on 17 February 1984. During this time, he headed the 1977 to 1980 Royal Commission
Inquiry into Drugs.
Williams chaired of the 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games
Foundation for which he received the Australian of the Year
award in 1982. Williams was also the Commissioner General for Expo '88
, and received the Queenslander of the Year award in 1983.
Williams also had numerous other commitments, including being chairman of the Queensland Turf Club
for 11 years up to 1991.
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
KBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
QC
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
(29 December 1921 – 10 January 1999) was appointed as a judge to the Supreme Court of Queensland
Supreme Court of Queensland
The Supreme Court of Queensland, which is based at the Law Courts Complex, is the superior court for the Australian State of Queensland and sits around the middle of the Australian court hierarchy...
, which is the highest ranking court
Australian court hierarchy
There are two streams within the hierarchy of Australian courts, the federal stream and the state and territory stream. While the federal courts and the court systems in each state and territory are separate, the High Court of Australia remains the ultimate court of appeal for the Australian...
in the Australian state of Queensland.
In March 1944 Williams enrolled as an external student at the University of London in the Faculty of Law completing his final LLB examinations in June 1946. He graduated from the University of London in Law with Second Class Honours in June 1946.
Williams was appointed to the court on 13 May 1971 and served until he retired on 17 February 1984. During this time, he headed the 1977 to 1980 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...
Inquiry into Drugs.
Williams chaired of the 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games
1982 Commonwealth Games
The 1982 Commonwealth Games were held in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia from 30 September–9 October 1982. The Opening Ceremony was held at the QEII Stadium , in the Brisbane suburb of Nathan. The QEII Stadium was also the venue which was used for the athletics and archery competitions during the...
Foundation for which he received the Australian of the Year
Australian of the Year
Since 1960 the Australian of the Year Award has been part of the celebrations surrounding Australia Day , during which time the award has grown steadily in significance to become Australia’s pre-eminent award. The Australian of the Year announcement has become a very prominent part of the annual...
award in 1982. Williams was also the Commissioner General for Expo '88
Expo '88
World Expo 88, also known as Expo '88, was a World's Fair held in Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia, during a six-month period between Saturday, 30 April 1988 and Sunday, 30 October 1988...
, and received the Queenslander of the Year award in 1983.
Williams also had numerous other commitments, including being chairman of the Queensland Turf Club
Queensland Turf Club
The Queensland Turf Club was founded in August 1863.It began on a piece of land in Ascot, Queensland, later called Eagle Farm Racecourse, given to the club by government grant. The first meeting of the club was held on 14 August 1865....
for 11 years up to 1991.