Alfred Stephen

Sir Alfred Stephen GCMG CB PC (20 August 1802 – 15 October 1894) was an Australian judge and chief justice of New South Wales.

Stephen was born at St Christopher in the West Indies; his father, John Stephen (1771–1833), was related to James Stephen, became a barrister, and was solicitor-general at St Christopher before his appointment as solicitor-general of New South Wales in January 1824. He arrived at Sydney on 7 August 1824 and in September 1825 was made an acting judge of the supreme court. On 13 March 1826 his appointment as judge was confirmed. He resigned his position at the end of 1832 on account of ill-health and died on 21 December 1833.

Alfred Stephen was educated at Charterhouse School and Honiton grammar school in Devon. He returned to St Christopher for some years and then went to London to study law. In November 1823 he was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn, and the following year sailed for Tasmania. He arrived at Hobart on 24 January 1825 and on 9 May was made solicitor-general, and 10 days later, crown solicitor.

Stephen allied himself with Governor Arthur who had clashed with Joseph Tice Gellibrand, the attorney-general. Stephen's resignation of his position in August 1825, and his charges against his brother officer's professional and public conduct, brought the matter to a head. Stephen always took an extremely high-minded attitude about his own conduct in this matter. The incident is discussed at length in R. W. Giblin's Early History of Tasmania, vol. II, p. 467, et seq.

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