View source for John Stephen (New South Wales judge)

{{short description|New South Wales solicitor-general and judge}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}
{{Use Australian English|date=December 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = John Stephen
| image              = John Stephen FL1865393.jpg
| alt                = Black and white image of a male with receding hair wearing a dark suit and cravat
| caption            =
| birth_name         =
| birth_date         = 4 July 1771
| birth_place        = [[Poole]], [[Dorset]], England
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|1833|12|21|1771|06|04|df=y}}
| death_place        = [[Belfield, New South Wales]]
| nationality        =
| other_names        =
| occupation         = Supreme court judge
| years_active       = 1826–1832
| known_for          =
| notable_works      =
}}
'''John Stephen''' (1771–1833) was appointed solicitor-general and judge of the [[Supreme Court of New South Wales]] in the [[Colony of New South Wales]].<ref name="ADB">{{cite AuDB |first=C.H. |last=Currey |title=Stephen, John (1771–1833) |id2=stephen-john-1292 }}</ref>
==Career==
Stephen built up a legal practice as an attorney and barrister in [[Basseterre]], [[Saint Kitts and Nevis]].<ref name="ADB"/> Stephen returned to England, where he lost on some bad investments, so then returned to Basseterre, but was unable to re-establish his previously profitable practice.<ref name="ADB"/> His nephew [[James Stephen (civil servant)|James Stephen]], who was permanent under-secretary of state for the colonies, recommended Stephen for appointment in the Colony of New South Wales.<ref name="ADB"/> He was appointed the first [[Solicitor General for New South Wales]] in 1824,<ref>{{cite news|date=12 August 1824|title=John Stephen Esq appointed Solicitor-General|page=1|newspaper=[[The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser]]|url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2183128|access-date=19 January 2019|via=Trove}}</ref> serving until August 1825 when he was appointed an additional judge of the [[Supreme Court of New South Wales]].<ref>{{cite news|date=18 August 1825|title=John Stephen Esq appointed additional judge of the Supreme Court|page=1|newspaper=[[The Australian (1824 newspaper)|The Australian]]|url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article37073146|access-date=19 January 2019|via=Trove}}</ref> Stephen resigned from the Supreme Court in December 1932 due to ill health and died on 21 December 1833,<ref name="ADB"/> at Clareville, described as his country house, in what is now [[Belfield, New South Wales|Belfield]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article42009354 |title=Funeral of John Stephen, Esq. |newspaper=[[The Australian (1824 newspaper)|The Australian]] |date=27 December 1833 |access-date=20 December 2021 |page=2 |via=Trove}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Clareville estate |url=https://dictionaryofsydney.org/place/clareville_estate |website=Dictionary of Sydney |access-date=8 January 2022}}</ref>
==Family==
Stephen was the son of James Stephen, from [[Aberdeen, Scotland]], and Sibella Milner, of [[Poole|Poole, Dorsetshire]].<ref name="ADB"/> Stephen and his wife Mary Anne, née Pasmore, had six boys, and three girls.<ref name="ADB"/> The [[Stephen (Australian legal family)|Stephen family]] became a prominent legal dynasty in Australia. Of his sons, [[Alfred Stephen|Sir Alfred]] served as [[Chief Justice of New South Wales]], while [[Sidney Stephen|Sidney]] served on the [[High Court of New Zealand|Supreme Court of New Zealand]]. His nephew [[James Stephen (Australian politician)|James]] served on the [[Supreme Court of Victoria]], while his grandson, [[Matthew Henry Stephen|Sir Henry]] and great-grandson [[Edward Milner Stephen|Edward]] served on the Supreme Court of New South Wales.<ref name="dynasty">{{cite web |url=http://adb.anu.edu.au/essay/10 |title=Australian Legal Dynasties: The Stephens and the Streets |first=K |last=Fox |date=17 February 2015 |publisher=[[Australian Dictionary of Biography]]}}</ref>
==See also==
*[[List of judges of the Supreme Court of New South Wales]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
*{{Find a Grave|142800053}}
*[https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/L49H-BB4 John Stephen] at [[FamilySearch]]
*[https://onesearch.slq.qld.gov.au/permalink/61SLQ_INST/tqqf2h/alma99183959420902061 Colonial Secretary's papers 1822-1877], [[State Library of Queensland]]- includes digitised correspondence, petitions and letters written by Stephen to the [[Colonial Secretary of New South Wales]]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephen, John}}
[[Category:1771 births]]
[[Category:1833 deaths]]
[[Category:Judges of the Supreme Court of New South Wales]]
[[Category:English emigrants to colonial Australia]]
[[Category:People from Poole]]
[[Category:English people of Scottish descent]]
[[Category:Settlers of New South Wales]]