Keith Aickin

Sir Keith Arthur Aickin (1 February 1916 – 18 June 1982) was an Australian judge who served on the High Court of Australia from 1976 until his death in 1982. He had previously been a prominent barrister.

Early life and education Aickin was born in Malvern East, Melbourne, the younger son of James Lee Aickin, a schoolmaster from Ireland, and his Victorian-born wife Edith Clarabel, née Knight. Keith Aickin was educated at Melbourne Grammar School and the University of Melbourne, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws with Honours and later a Master of Laws. On 17 April 1952, Aickin married Elizabeth May Gullett at St John's Anglican Church, Toorak.

Career From 1939 to 1941, Aickin worked as an associate to High Court Justice (later Chief Justice) Owen Dixon. From 1942 to 1944, Aickin served as part of the Australian legation to Washington, D.C. (predecessor of the Embassy of Australia in Washington). In 1948, he joined the legal department of the United Nations in New York City, becoming a legal adviser. As was traditional for High Court justices, he was knighted shortly after his appointment.

Car accident and death On 4 June 1982, Aickin received severe injuries in a car accident in Melbourne, including six broken ribs. He spent several days in the intensive care unit at Prince Henry's Hospital, but was discharged and expected to recover; he took medical leave from the court. However, on 18 June he suffered a fatal heart attack related to his earlier injuries. Aickin's incapacity and subsequent death reduced the number of sitting High Court judges to five, as Ninian Stephen had recently resigned to become the Governor-General. It also meant there was no Victorian judge on the court for the first time in its history.