Douglas Menzies
Sir Douglas Ian Menzies (7 September 1907 – 29 November 1974) was an Australian judge who served on the High Court of Australia. He was also the Chancellor of Monash University from 1968 until his death in 1974.
Menzies was born in Ballarat, Victoria, to Annie Wilson (née Copeland) and Reverend Francis Menzies. He was related to Hugh and James Menzies and was a first cousin of Sir Robert Menzies. He attended Hobart High School and Devonport High School in Tasmania, then studied at the University of Melbourne, where he earned a Bachelor of Laws with scholarships and won the Supreme Court of Victoria’s Prize in Law.
He became a solicitor in 1930 and a barrister in 1932. From 1941 to 1945 he was secretary to the Defence and Chiefs of Staff Committees, and from 1941 to 1950 he lectured at the University of Melbourne. He led the Law Council of Australia from 1956 to 1958 and was president of the Victorian Bar Council in 1958.
Menzies was appointed to the High Court on 12 June 1958 by his cousin, Prime Minister Robert Menzies, and was knighted as a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire the same year. In 1963 he joined the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. He became Chancellor of Monash University in 1968 and held both roles until his death.
He died suddenly in Sydney in 1974 after collapsing, and he was cremated. He had married Helen Jean Borland in 1936; she died in 1966. They were survived by a son and three daughters, including Catherine Anne Money, a biochemist.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 07:18 (CET).