Isaac Isaacs - Working Life

Working Life

In 1875 he moved to Melbourne and found work at the Prothonotary's Office of the Law Department. In 1876, while still working full-time, he studied law at the University of Melbourne. He graduated in 1880 with a Master of Laws degree in 1883. In 1888 he married Deborah Jacobs, then they had two daughters.

In 1892 Isaacs was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly as a liberal. In 1893 he became Solicitor-General. He was the member for Bogong from May 1892 until May 1893 and between June 1893 and May 1901. In 1897 he was elected to the Convention, that drafted the Australian Constitution, where he supported those arguing for a more democratic draft. He took silk as a Queen's Counsel in 1899.

Isaacs was elected to the first federal Parliament in 1901 to the seat of Indi as a critical supporter of Edmund Barton and his Protectionist government. He was one of a group of backbenchers pushing for more radical policies and he earned the dislike of many of his colleagues through what they saw as his aloofness and rather self-righteous attitude to politics.

Alfred Deakin appointed Isaacs Attorney-General in 1905 but he was a difficult colleague and in 1906 Deakin was keen to get him out of politics by appointing him to the High Court bench. He was the first serving Minister to resign from the Parliament. On the High Court he joined H. B. Higgins as a radical minority on the Court in opposition to the Chief Justice, Sir Samuel Griffith. He served on the Court for 24 years, acquiring a reputation as a learned radical but uncollegial justice.

Isaacs was one of only eight justices of the High Court to have served in the Parliament of Australia prior to his appointment to the Court; the others were Edmund Barton, Richard O'Connor, H. B. Higgins, Edward McTiernan, John Latham, Garfield Barwick, and Lionel Murphy. He was also one of two to have served in the Parliament of Victoria, along with Higgins.

In 1930 the Labor Prime Minister, James Scullin, appointed Isaacs, by this time aged 75, as Chief Justice. Shortly afterwards, however, Scullin decided to appoint an Australian as Governor-General and offered the post to Isaacs. Scullin personally advised King George V to make the appointment, during his 1930 trip to Europe. The King reluctantly agreed to his advice, although his own preferred appointee was Field Marshal Sir William Birdwood (later Lord Birdwood), who had commanded the Australian Imperial Force during World War I.

Isaacs agreed to a reduction in salary and conducted the office with great frugality. He gave up his official residences in Sydney and Melbourne and most official entertaining. He was the first Governor-General to live permanently at Government House, Canberra. This was well-received with the public as was Isaacs's image of rather austere dignity.

Although Isaacs was seen as a Labor appointment, the Scullin government fell at the end of 1931, and the rest of Isaacs's term was during the United Australia Party government of Joseph Lyons.