John Jefferson Bray



The Honourable Dr John Jefferson Bray, AC (16 September 1912 – 26 June 1995) was an Australian poet, lawyer, academic, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of South Australia, which is the highest ranking court in the Australian State of South Australia.

Family
Born in Adelaide, South Australia into a family with a history of involvement in South Australian politics and current affairs, Bray was grandson of former Premier of South Australia, the Honourable Sir John Cox Bray, and the elder son of Harry Midwinter Bray (1879–1965), an Adelaide stock broker, and his wife, Gertrude Eleanore Stow (member of a family of Congregationalist missionaries in South Australia). On his mother's side, he claimed a collateral relationship to the third U.S. president, Thomas Jefferson.

Education
Bray was educated at Sevenhill state school in the Clare Valley, St Peter's College, Adelaide, and the University of Adelaide, where he earned a BA in 1932, an LL.B.(Hons.) in 1933 and an LL.D. in 1937. He was also granted an Honorary Doctorate in 1983.

Legal career
Bray trained as a lawyer and was admitted to the South Australian Bar in 1933. He was acting lecturer in jurisprudence at the University of Adelaide for the years 1941, 1943, 1945 and 1951. He was created a Q.C. in 1957. He served as a lecturer in Legal History at the University of Adelaide from 1957 until 1958, and then as a lecturer in Roman Law from 1959 until 1966. He was appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of South Australia on 28 February 1967 and served until his retirement from the judiciary on 28 November 1978. Bray was appointed Chancellor of the University of Adelaide in 1968. He also served as Deputy to the Lieutenant-Governor of South Australia from 1968 until retirement.

He described his views as "æsthetic - traditional; social - emancipated; political - fluctuating" and his philosophies as "sceptical, some tendencies to Platonism"

Recognition
Bray was made a Companion of the Order of Australia in 1979, and is said to have refused a knighthood. .

Publications
Bray's publications reflected his interests which he listed as "poetry, history, classics":
 * Poems (Melbourne, Cheshire Press, 1962)
 * Poems 1961-1971 (Brisbane, Jacaranda Press, 1972)
 * Poems 1972-1979 (1979)

He was also joint-editor for No. 7 Friendly Street Poetry Reader (Adelaide University Press, 1977, and 1978).

He also made contributions to:
 * Well and Truly Tried (festschrift for Sir Richard Eggleston, 1982)
 * Adelaide Law School Centenary Essays (Adelaide University Press, 1983)
 * Australian Law Journal