20 Facts About Samuel Way

Sir Samuel James Way, 1st Baronet, was an English-Australian jurist who served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of South Australia from 18 March 1876 until 8 January 1916.

Samuel Way left England to rejoin his family at the end of 1852, arriving in Adelaide in March 1853.

On 25 March 1861, Samuel Way was admitted to the South Australian Bar to practice law, and when Atkinson died shortly afterwards, Samuel Way inherited his practice.

Samuel Way practised as a barrister and quickly became a leader among the legal community, and in 1868 joined a partnership with another barrister, James Brook.

In September 1871, Samuel Way was made a Queen's Counsel, despite having been admitted to the bar only ten years earlier.

Samuel Way continued to be highly successful, travelling to London to argue a number of cases before the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.

In 1874, Samuel Way was elected as a member of the council of the University of Adelaide, and was appointed to the South Australian Board of Education.

In 1875, Samuel Way was elected to the South Australian House of Assembly as the member for Sturt, and on 3 June of that year joined the Boucaut government as Attorney-General of South Australia.

Samuel Way was only a politician for a short time since in March 1876, at the age of just thirty-nine, he was appointed Chief Justice of South Australia following the death of Richard Hanson on 4 March.

Since it is the role of the Attorney-General to recommend judicial candidates to the cabinet, it has been suggested that Samuel Way probably nominated himself to be Chief Justice.

Samuel Way soon gained a reputation as an excellent lawyer, and it has been said that none of his decisions were ever successfully appealed to a higher court.

In 1877, Samuel Way was called upon to act as acting Governor of South Australia.

In January 1897, Samuel Way became the first Australian to be appointed to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.

In 1902, when Lord Tennyson vacated the role of Governor of South Australia to assume the role of Governor-General of Australia, Samuel Way was commissioned as Administrator of South Australia, and remained in that role until 1903.

Samuel Way married Mrs Katherine Gollan Blue on 11 April 1898.

Samuel Way was the widow of Dr William Archibald Sinclair Blue of Strathalbyn.

Samuel Way became ill in 1914, and was diagnosed with cancer.

Samuel Way travelled to Sydney to have his arm amputated, in an attempt to delay the cancer.

Samuel Way died early the following year in North Adelaide.

The Sir Samuel Way Building on Victoria Square, Adelaide, was originally a major retail outlet for Charles Moore and Co.