Gordon Samuels

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Gordon Jacob Samuels, AC, CVO, QC (born August 12, 1923), was Governor of New South Wales from March 1, 1996 to March 1, 2001.

Samuels was born into a Jewish family in London and was educated at University College School and Balliol College, Oxford. He joined the British Army in 1942 and served as artilleryman from 1942–1946. He was called to the bar in 1948. The following year he emigrated to Australia and was called to the Sydney bar in 1952. He soon earned a reputation as a brilliant barrister. He married Jacqueline Kott in 1957 and the couple had two daughters. Samuels was appointed a QC in 1964.

Samuels was Challis Lecturer of Law at the University of Sydney from 1964 to 1970. He was President of the New South Wales Bar Association, a traditional stepping stone to judicial appointment, in 1971–1972. In November 1972 he was duly made a Judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales. From 1974 he was also a Judge of the Court of Appeal. On turning 70 in 1993, Samuels retired from the bench and became Chairman of the Law Reform Commission of New South Wales, a position he held until he was appointed Governor in 1996. Since his retirement as Governor he has rejoined the Commission as a part-time Commissioner.

The appointment of Samuels as Governor of New South Wales in 1996 was followed by some controversy, not because of any doubt about his qualifications, but because of the accompanying announcement by the Premier of New South Wales, Bob Carr. Carr announced that Samuels would not live at Government House, Sydney, which would become a museum open to the public, but would "work from home" as essentially a part-time Governor. This decision was seen by some as an attempt by Carr, a Republican, to downgrade the importance of the office of Governor. Initially it was also suggested that Samuels would retain his various chairmanships and committee memberships while serving as Governor, but after protests from some sections of the media this suggestion was dropped.

Samuels was made a Companion of the Order of Australia in 1987 and a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in 2000, and received the Centenary Medal in 2003.