Laurence Street facts for kids

Sir Laurence Whistler Street (born 3 July 1926, died 21 June 2018) was a very important Australian judge. He was the 14th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales. This is the highest judge in the state of New South Wales. He also served as Lieutenant-Governor of New South Wales.

Sir Laurence came from a family of judges. Both his father and grandfather held the same important roles before him. He was the youngest Chief Justice since 1844. During World War II, he served in the Royal Australian Navy. Later, he became a high-ranking officer in both the Navy and the Australian Army Reserve.

After he retired from being a judge, Sir Laurence continued to work. He led a big media company called Fairfax Media. He also helped solve disagreements through a process called mediation. He even helped bring back the remains of 17 Indigenous Australians from a museum in London. This was a very important step for reconciliation.

Early Life and Family

Sir Laurence Street was born in Sydney, Australia. His father was Kenneth Whistler Street and his mother was Jessie Street. Both his father and grandfather, Sir Philip Whistler Street, were also Chief Justices and Lieutenant-Governors. This made the Street family very well-known in Australian law.

His mother, Jessie Street, was famous for fighting for women's rights. She also supported the rights of Indigenous Australians. Sir Laurence went to Cranbrook School, Sydney. When he was 17, he joined the Royal Australian Navy to fight in World War II. After the war, he studied law at Sydney Law School.

A Career in Law

In 1951, Sir Laurence became a barrister. This means he was a lawyer who argued cases in court. He worked a lot with business law and shipping law. In 1965, he became a judge in the Supreme Court of New South Wales.

In 1974, when he was 47, Sir Laurence became the Chief Justice. He was the youngest person to hold this job in over 130 years. He retired from this role in 1988. For his great service, he received high honours like the Order of St Michael and St George and the Order of Australia.

Beyond the Courtroom

After retiring, Sir Laurence became a director and then chairman of Fairfax Media. He also worked with Monte dei Paschi di Siena, which is the oldest bank in the world. He was involved in many legal groups around the world.

He was a patron of the Jessie Street National Women's Library. This library helps continue his mother's work for women's and Indigenous rights. Sir Laurence was a pioneer in alternative dispute resolution. This means he helped people solve problems without going to court. He led over 1,500 mediations, mostly for big business disagreements.

Sir Laurence also helped review a case involving an Indigenous Australian person who died in custody in 2004. He also chaired a review of rules for the Australian Defence Force. In 2005, he helped oversee a large project to buy new naval ships for Australia.

His Family's Legacy

Sir Laurence had five children. Four with his first wife, Susan Gai Watt, and one with his second wife, Penelope Ferguson. Many of his children also became successful in law.

His daughter, Sylvia Emmett, is a federal judge. His son, Alexander "Sandy" Street, is also a federal judge. Sir Laurence's youngest daughter, Jessie Street, is the god-daughter of King Charles III.

Remembering Sir Laurence

Sir Laurence Street passed away on 21 June 2018. A special state funeral was held for him at the Sydney Opera House. Many important people spoke about his life and achievements.

The Prime Minister of Australia, Malcolm Turnbull, spoke about Sir Laurence as his mentor. He said Sir Laurence was very smart and charming. He was even nicknamed "Lorenzo the Magnificent" because of his impressive qualities. The Chief Justice of New South Wales, Tom Bathurst, called him "one of the outstanding jurists of the 20th century."