Home > Zelman Cowen

In 1951 Cowen returned to Australia and became Dean of the Law Faculty at the University of Melbourne, a post he held until 1966. During these years he was frequently a Visiting Professor at American universities, including the University of ChicagoThe University of Chicago is a university located in Chicago, Illinois. Just over a century old, it includes departments and committees of: Physics, Economics, Music (theory), Sociology, Linguistics, Political Science, Social Thought, International Relati, the University of IllinoisThe University of Illinois is the set of three public universities in Illinois. These schools are taxpayer-subsidized institutions of higher learning. Joseph White was November 2, 2004, as the 16th president of the University of Illinois; he will begin Fe and the University of WashingtonThe University of Washington founded in 1861, is a major public research university in the Seattle metropolitan area. Its primary campus is in Seattle's University District, and it has two branch campuses in Tacoma and Bothell. Locally known as "U Dub," i. He also advised the British Colonial Office on constitutional matters, and advised the governments of GhanaThe Republic of Ghana is a nation of western Africa. It borders Cote d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso in the north, Togo to the east, and borders the Gulf of Guinea to its south. Republic of Ghana ( In Detail) (Full size) National motto: Freedom and Jus and Hong KongThe Hong Kong Special Administrative Region or Hong Kong (, pinyin: Xinggng, WG: Hsiang-kang, Cantonese IPA, Jyutping or Penkyamp: hoeng1 gong2, meaning Fragrant Harbour , is one of two Special Administrative Regions (SARs) of the People's Republic of Chi on legal issues. Among many other works, he published a biography of Sir Isaac IsaacsSir Isaac Alfred Isaacs ( 6 August 1855 12 February, 1948) Australian judge and politician, was the ninth Governor-General of Australia, the first Jew, and the first Australian to occupy that post. Isaacs was born in Melbourne, the son of a Jewish tailor, the first Australian born (and first Jewish) Governor-General of Australia.

Cowen was appointed Vice-Chancellor of the University of New EnglandThis article is about the university in Australia. For the Australian university, see University of New England, Maine. The University of New England UNE to its friends and alumni) was originally formed in 1938 as the New England University College a Coll in Armidale, New South WalesArmidale (population 22,000) is a university city in northwestern New South Wales, Australia, and is the administrative centre for the New England region. It is located approximately half way between Sydney and Brisbane on the New England Highway, nationa, in 1966, and in 1970 he was appointed Vice-Chancellor of the University of Queensland in Brisbane. By this time he was regarded as one of the leading constitutional lawyers in the English-speaking world. He was Emeritus Professor of Law at Melbourne and the Tagore Professor of Law at the University of Calcutta. During his time in Queensland he handled disturbances at the University resulting from protests against the Vietnam War with diplomatic skill.

When Sir John Kerr's turbulent period of office as Governor-General ended with Kerr's early resignation in 1977, Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser offered Cowen the post. He was in some ways a perfect choice. He was a distinguished Australian with an international reputation, his professional qualifications were beyond dispute, and since he had never been in politics his political views were unknown. The fact that he was Jewish gave his appointment a multicultural aspect in keeping with contemporary Australian sentiment.

Cowen served five years as Governor-General, and succeded is restoring the dignity and respect of the office after the tumults of the Kerr years. Fraser was Prime Minister throughout his term and there were no significant constitutional issues to deal with. After his retirement he lived in Melbourne and was active in Jewish community affairs. During the 1999 debate on Australia becoming a republic, he supported a moderate republican position.