Mitchell, Dame Roma (1913-2000), in 1962, became the first Australian woman to be admitted as a queen’s counsel, a distinguished barrister (lawyer) who serves as legal adviser to the Crown. In 1969, she became the first woman judge of a superior court in Australia. In 1983, she became acting chief justice of South Australia and was the first woman to hold this post. She was judge of the Supreme Court of South Australia from 1965 to 1983. In January 1991 she became governor of South Australia, the first woman to be appointed governor of an Australian state. She served as governor until 1996.
Roma Flinders Mitchell was born in Adelaide, South Australia, on Oct. 2, 1913. She graduated in law from the University of Adelaide, where she later lectured in law. In 1972, she became the first woman, other than a member of the royal family, to be appointed deputy chancellor at that university. She was chancellor of the university from 1983 to 1990. In 1982, she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. Dame Roma died in Adelaide on March 5, 2000.
