Jeffery, Michael (1937-…), was governor general of Australia from 2003 to 2008. He was the first career military officer born in Australia to be appointed governor general.
Philip Michael Jeffery was born on Dec. 12, 1937, in Wiluna, a small mining town in Western Australia. He graduated from the Royal Military College-Duntroon in 1958. After graduation, Jeffery served with 17 National Service Training Company and the Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) in Perth. In 1962, he joined the Royal Australian Regiment, serving in Malaya (now Malaysia) and Borneo (now Brunei and parts of Indonesia and Malaysia). He returned to Perth as adjutant (assistant to the commanding officer) of the SASR.
From 1966 to 1969, Jeffery served in Papua New Guinea with the First Battalion of the Pacific Islands Regiment. He then became a company commander with the Eighth Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment, fighting in the Vietnam War (1957-1975). Jeffery earned a Military Cross, one of the United Kingdom’s highest military honors, in 1971 for his leadership in battle. In 1975, he became the director of the SASR in Perth and was soon promoted to become the first director of the Army’s Special Action Forces. From 1981 to 1983, Jeffery served as head of Australia’s national counterterrorist coordination authority. In 1990, he became deputy chief of the General Staff, responsible for daily operations of the Army. Jeffery was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1981 and an Officer of the Order (a higher level in the Order) in 1988, in both cases for his service to the Australian Army. The Order of Australia is Australia’s highest award for service to the country or to humanity.
In 1993, Jeffery retired from the Army to become governor of Western Australia, a position he held until 2000. For service to the community in this office, he was made a Companion in the Order of Australia in 1996. In August 2003, Jeffery became governor general of Australia. He replaced Peter Hollingworth, who resigned from his post in May of that year. Jeffery stepped down in 2008 and was replaced by Quentin Bryce, the first woman to serve as Australia’s governor general.
