Ninian Stephen
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The Right Honourable Sir Ninian Stephen KG, AK, GCMG, GCVO, KBE, QC |
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| 20th Governor-General of Australia | |
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In office 29 July 1982 – 16 February 1989 |
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| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Prime Minister |
Malcolm Fraser (1982–83) Bob Hawke (1983–89) |
| Preceded by | Sir Zelman Cowen |
| Succeeded by | Bill Hayden |
| Justice of the High Court of Australia | |
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In office 1 March 1972 – 11 May 1982 |
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| Nominated by | William McMahon |
| Preceded by | Sir Victor Windeyer |
| Succeeded by | Sir William Deane |
| Judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria | |
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In office 30 June 1970 – 29 February 1972 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
15 June 1923 Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England |
| Spouse(s) | Valerie Sinclair (1949–present) |
| Children | 5 |
| Profession | Barrister, judge |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Australia |
| Service/branch | Australian Army |
| Years of service | 1942–1946 |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Battles/wars | Second World War |
Sir Ninian Martin Stephen KG, AK, GCMG, GCVO, KBE, QC (born 15 June 1923) is an Australian jurist, who served as a Justice in the High Court of Australia before being appointed the 20th Governor-General of Australia.
Stephen was born on 15 June 1923 in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England. He was less than a year old when his father, Frederick, who had been a motorcycle courier in World War I, died, leaving him to be raised by his mother Barbara.
Stephen attended St Paul's School, West Kensington, London, from Spring Term 1937 to March 1938. He emigrated to Australia as a child.
Stephen was educated at Scotch College and the University of Melbourne, but his studies were interrupted by World War II, in which he served as a corporal in the Australian Army, 3rd Water Transport Group (Royal Engineers), in New Guinea and Borneo, rising to the rank of lieutenant before discharge in 1946.
Stephen completed his legal studies in 1950 and was called to the Victorian Bar in 1952.
By the 1960s, Stephen was one of Australia's leading constitutional and commercial lawyers. He was made a Queen's Counsel in 1966.
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