Isaac Isaacs
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The Right Honourable Sir Isaac Isaacs GCB, GCMG, KC |
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| 9th Governor-General of Australia | |
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In office 21 January 1931 – 23 January 1936 |
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| Monarch |
George V (1931–36) Edward VIII (1936) |
| Prime Minister |
James Scullin (1931–32) Joseph Lyons (1932–36) |
| Preceded by | The Lord Stonehaven |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Gowrie |
| 3rd Chief Justice of Australia | |
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In office 2 April 1930 – 21 January 1931 |
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| Nominated by | James Scullin |
| Appointed by | The Lord Stonehaven |
| Preceded by | Sir Adrian Knox |
| Succeeded by | Sir Frank Duffy |
| Justice of the High Court of Australia | |
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In office 12 October 1906 – 2 April 1930 |
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| Nominated by | Alfred Deakin |
| Appointed by | Lord Northcote |
| Preceded by | None |
| Succeeded by | Sir Edward McTiernan |
| Attorney-General of Australia | |
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In office 6 July 1905 – 10 October 1906 |
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| Prime Minister | Alfred Deakin |
| Preceded by | Josiah Symon |
| Succeeded by | Littleton Groom |
| Member of the Australian Parliament for Indi |
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In office 9 May 1901 – 10 October 1906 |
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| Preceded by |
None Australian Federation |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Brown |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Isaac Alfred Isaacs 6 August 1855 Melbourne, Victoria |
| Died | 11 February 1948 (aged 92) South Yarra, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Spouse(s) | Deborah 'Daisy' Jacobs (c. 1870–1960) married 1888 |
| Children | 2 |
| Profession | Barrister, politician and judge |
| Religion | Judaism |
Sir Isaac Alfred Isaacs GCB, GCMG, KC (6 June 1855 – 11 February 1948) was an Australian judge and politician who served as the 3rd Chief Justice of Australia and the 9th, and first Australian-born, Governor-General. He had previously served as Attorney-General in the Protectionist government of Alfred Deakin.
Isaacs was the son of Alfred Isaacs, a tailor of Jewish ancestry from the town of Mława, Poland. Seeking better prospects, Alfred left Poland and worked his way across what is now Germany, spending some months in Berlin and Frankfurt. By 1845 he had passed through Paris and arrived to work in London, where he met Rebecca Abrahams; the two married in 1849. After news of the 1851 Victorian gold rush reached England, Australia became a very popular destination and the Isaacs decided to emigrate. By 1854 they had saved enough for the fare, departing from Liverpool in June 1854 and arriving in Melbourne in September. Some time after arriving the Isaacs moved into a cottage and shopfront in Elizabeth Street, Melbourne, where Alfred continued his tailoring. Isaac Alfred Isaacs was born in this cottage on 6 August 1855. His family moved to various locations around Melbourne while he was young, then in 1859 moved to Yackandandah in northern Victoria, close to family friends. At this time Yackandandah was a gold mining settlement of 3,000 people.
Isaacs had siblings born in Melbourne and Yackandandah: John, who later became a solicitor and Victorian Member of Parliament, and sisters Carolyn and Hannah were all born in Yackandandah. A brother was born in Melbourne, and another sister was born in Yackandandah, but both died very young. His first formal schooling was from sometime after 1860 at a small private establishment. At eight he won the school arithmetic prize, winning his photograph by the schoolmaster, who was also a photographer and bootmaker. Yackandandah state school was opened in 1863 and Isaacs enrolled as a pupil. Here he excelled academically, particularly in arithmetic and languages, though he was a frequent truant, walking off to spend time in the nearby mining camps. To help Isaacs gain a better quality education, in 1867, his family moved to nearby Beechworth first enrolling him in the Common school then in the Beechworth Grammar School. He excelled at the Grammar School, becoming dux in his first year and winning many academic prizes. In his second year he was employed part-time as an assistant teacher at the school, and took up after school tutoring of fellow students. In September 1870, when Isaacs was just 15 years old, he passed his examination as a pupil teacher and taught at the school from then until 1873. Isaacs was next employed as an assistant teacher at the Beechworth State School, the successor to the Common school.
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