Sir Albert Edward Woodward, AC, OBE (6 August 1928 – 15 April 2010) was an Australian jurist.
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Edward Woodward was born in Ballarat in 1928 to Eric Woodward (later as Lieutenant General Sir Eric Woodward, the longest-serving Governor of New South Wales) and Amy Freame Weller. After completing both his primary and secondary education at the prestigious Melbourne Grammar School, Woodward continued his studies at the University of Melbourne, where he graduated with a Master of Laws. He was admitted to the Bar in 1951 and was appointed a Queen's Counsel in 1965. During his career, he sat on several boards and 17 Royal Commissions, of which he was the Chairman for four. The most famous of these was the Aboriginal Land Rights Commission in 1973-74. He was President of the Trade Practices Tribunal (1974-6) and a Justice of the Federal Court of Australia (1977–90).
As Director-General of Security between 1976 and 1981, he headed the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation.
He was a member of Camberwell Grammar School Council between 1972–1987 and Chairman in 1987. He was made a Life Governor of the school in 2002.
Woodward was appointed as a Federal Court Judge until 1990 when he became Chancellor of the University of Melbourne, a post he held until 2001.
He died on 15 April 2010, aged 81.[1]
He was made a Knight Bachelor in 1982 and Companion of the Order of Australia in 2001. He declined the governorship of Victoria on the grounds that he did not think it was appropriate for an atheist to hold the position.[2][3]
| Academic offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir Roy Wright |
Chancellor of the University of Melbourne 1990–2001 |
Succeeded by Fay Marles |