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Was born at Kilmalcolm,
Scotland, on 26 July 1850, the son of the Rev. James Gordon. His father
went to South Australia in 1859 to take charge of the Presbyterian church
at Mount Barker, and was afterwards stationed at Gawler. Gordon was
educated at Mount Barker under James Clezy, M.A., and at Gawler under the
Rev. J. Leonard and W. L. S. Burton. On leaving school he studied theology
and classics for two years, and was then for some years in the offices of
W. Duffield and Company of Gawler, and Dunn and Company, Port Adelaide. He
took up the study of law and was admitted to the South Australian bar in
1876, but practised for 11 years at Strathalbyn as a successful solicitor.
He did not become a Q.C. until 1900. In 1888 he was elected to the
legislative council for the Southern District and held the seat for 15
years. He was minister of education in the Cockburn (q.v.) ministry from
June 1889 to August 1890, and held the same position in the first Holder
(q.v.) ministry from June to October 1892. He became chief secretary in
the Kingston (q.v.) ministry in June 1893 but resigned on 15 February
1896. He was attorney-general in Holder's second ministry from December
1899 to May 1901 and from May 1901 to December 1903 in the Jenkins (q.v.)
ministry. He was then raised to the supreme court bench. He had shown
himself to be a great leader of the legislative council and a good
administrator. Always a strong federalist he was a representative of South
Australia at the 1891 convention, was elected fifth out of 33 candidates
in 1897, and sat on the constitutional committee. He would probably have
had no difficulty in winning a seat had he elected to enter federal
politics, but decided to stay in South Australia.
As a judge Gordon was
industrious and conscientious, quick in understanding, rapid and logical
in his conclusions. He was helpful to timid witnesses and a friend to
young barristers. It was generally believed that he could have become a
high court judge had he desired it, but his health was imperfect, and the
same reason probably prevented consideration of his claims to be chief
justice of South Australia when Way (q.v.) died. He was an excellent
lecturer on literary subjects, with a fine knowledge of the Elizabethan
period, and his occasional articles in the Adelaide press showed great
journalistic ability. He died at Adelaide on 23 December 1923. He married
in 1876 Ann Rogers who survived him with a daughter. He was knighted in
1908.
Gordon was of athletic
build, a charming companion with a brilliant mind. He was excellent both
as an after-dinner speaker and in parliament, and always had a complete
grip of the details of the bills he was bringing before parliament. No
South Australian ever excelled his management of the upper house. |
