Guide to the Papers of Sir Kenneth Bailey, 1916-1972

Summary

Collection number:

MS 4622

Creator:

Sir Kenneth Hamilton Bailey

Extent:

8.18 metres and (28 boxes + 1 folio box)

Language:

English

Preferred citation:

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Sir Kenneth Bailey, National Library of Australia, MS 4622, [box number and series and/or file number]'.

Availability:

Available

Access conditions:

Permission required for research. Not for loan.

Background

Content Summary:

The papers include official and personal correspondence, notes for addresses and lectures, articles written by Sir Kenneth, material relating to his secondary and tertiary education, newscuttings, and diaries for the years 1918-1920 and 1965-1968.

Also one box of photographs and slides.

Biographical Note:

Sir Kenneth Bailey was born in Melbourne in 1898. After serving with the AIF, he was the 1918 Victorian Rhodes Scholar, studying history and later law, at Oxford.

He return to Melbourne in 1924 as a lecturer in history, and was appointed Professor of Jurisprudence in 1928. Three years later his main career began when he was appointed Professor of Public Law. In 1943, he was appointed as a consultant to the Commonwealth Attorney-General's department, and three years later he resigned his university appointment to take up the position of Solicitor-General. During his long term of office, he attended many international conferences, and made valuable contributions to the work of the United Nations. In 1946, he was the member of the Australian delegation to the General Assembly of the United Nations who was responsible for the terms of the New Guinea Trusteeship Agreement.

As leader of the Australian delegation to the Law of the Sea Conference at Geneva in 1956 he was instrumental in achieving an international convention which greatly helped Australia's claims to the Continental Shelf. He received his knighthood in the same year. After Sir Kenneth retired from Attorney-General's in 1964, and was appointed a Queen's Counsel, he was appointed High Commissioner to Canada. In this position he was able to continue as member of the Australian delegation to the UN, until his retirement from diplomatic life in 1969.

After his second retirement from the Public Service, he again accepted a further appointment as a consultant to the two departments he had worked in, and until his death in May 1972, he was still employed by the Commonwealth.

In March 1972, an honorary doctor of laws degree was conferred on him at Canberra Hospital. It was his third such degree, the others being conferred on him the ANU and Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia.

Indexed terms

Names:

Sir Kenneth Hamilton Bailey

Conditions Governing Access:

Please refer to the collection's catalogue record for the access conditions (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn2435781).

Conditions Governing Use:

Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. For such material, written permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.

Preferred citation:

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Sir Kenneth Bailey, National Library of Australia, MS 4622, [box number and series and/or file number]'.

Location of this collection:

National Library of Australia

Parkes Place

Canberra ACT 2600, Australia

Contact:

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