1. George Rich is the second-longest-serving judge in the court's history, behind Edward McTiernan.
25 Facts About George Rich
2.
George Rich retired at the age of 87, making him the oldest person to sit on the court.
3.
George Rich was educated at Sydney Grammar School, and later studied at the University of Sydney, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1883 and a Master of Arts in 1885.
4.
In 1887, George Rich was admitted to the New South Wales Bar.
5.
George Rich remained involved with the University of Sydney, founding the student magazine Hermes, the first publication by the University of Sydney Union, in 1886.
6.
George Rich started the boat club at the university, and in 1889 was among those who established The Women's College at the university.
7.
From 1890 to 1910, George Rich lectured in equity part-time at the University of Sydney's law school.
8.
George Rich was the co-author of the first New South Wales-specific textbook on equity practice.
9.
George Rich was made a King's Counsel in 1911, and in the same year was appointed as an acting judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales.
10.
In 1913, George Rich was appointed to the newly created seventh seat on the bench of the High Court of Australia, taking up his seat on 5 April of that year.
11.
George Rich was appointed following the resignation of Albert Piddington, who never took up his seat on the High Court but quit amid a controversy over his appointment.
12.
George Rich had a long career on the High Court, not retiring until 5 May 1950.
13.
George Rich was a judge of the Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration from 1921 to 1922.
14.
George Rich was made a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1932, and in 1936 was appointed to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.
15.
From 1940 to 1941, George Rich was acting Chief Justice of Australia, while John Latham took leave to serve in Tokyo as Australia's first Minister to Japan.
16.
George Rich's judgments are generally considered to be clear and concise.
17.
George Rich, who retired at age 87, holds the record for being the oldest justice to sit on the bench of the High Court.
18.
In 1915, George Rich was appointed by the Fisher government to lead the Royal Commission on Liverpool Military Camp, New South Wales.
19.
George Rich was tasked with inquiring into the administration of an Australian Army training camp in Liverpool, New South Wales, which Richard Orchard had alleged was being seriously mismanaged.
20.
George Rich took up residence in the camp and interviewed a number of witnesses.
21.
George Rich's report, handed down a month after he was appointed, found that the camp subjected soldiers to "unnecessary privations and hardships" that were "not only cruel, but calculated to endanger their lives".
22.
Prime Minister Billy Hughes invited George Rich to join the official Australian delegation to the Third Assembly of the League of Nations, held in 1922 in Geneva, Switzerland.
23.
George Rich returned to Australia via the United States, where he conducted a speaking tour.
24.
George Rich gave speeches in New York City, Buffalo, and Chicago, promoting the League's activities and criticising the US for refusing to join.
25.
Geoffrey Sawer has suggested that George Rich delayed his retirement until after the 1949 federal election in order to prevent the Labor Chifley government from being able to appoint a judge.