John Fletcher Hargrave

Brief description

PER-19

Full description

John Fletcher Hargrave was born 28 December 1815 at Greenwich, England (1). He went to Kings College in 1830 and then to Trinity College where he attained his BA in 1837 and his MA in 1840 (2). He enrolled at Lincoln's Inn in 1836 and was called to the Bar in 1841, where he practised in chancery for ten years (3). During this period Hargraves became increasingly unstable, and retired from the Bar in 1851 (4). His wife eventually committed him to an asylum in Middlesex (5). Hargraves eventually recovered, and in February 1857 he arrived in Sydney where he was admitted to the Bar and became a foundation judge of the District Court in 1858 (6).

Hargrave resigned from the bench in February 1859 and became Solicitor-General from February to October of that year, representing East Camden and Illawarra in the Legislative Assembly (7). He was a member of the Legislative Council from October 1859 to June 1865 (8). In April 1860 Hargrave became the Attorney-General and held this position until July 1863 (9). He received silk in 1863 and was appointed to the bench of the Supreme Court of New South Wales in June 1865 (10). He was primary judge in Equity, and then in 1873 he was appointed as first divorce judge (11).

Once again Hargraves became increasingly unstable, and retired 11 October 1881 (12). He died 23 February 1885 (13).


Endnotes
(1) Australian Dictionary of Biography, Vol 4, 1851-1890, p.345
(2) Ibid
(3) Ibid
(4) Ibid
(5) Ibid
(6) Ibid
(7) Ibid
(8) www.lawlink.nsw.gov (16 January 2006)
(9) Ibid
(10) loc. cit. p.346
(11) Ibid
(12) loc.cit (16 January 2006)
(13) Ibid

Notes

Solicitor General, 21/02/1859 - 08/03/1860

Attorney General, 2/04/1860 - 31/07/1863

Member Legislative Assembly, 15/03 - 11/04 1859, 15/06 = 11/10/1859

Member Legislative Council, 10/10/1859 - 23/06/1865

Judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, 23/6/1865 - 11/10/1881.