Sir Walter Dwyer

Sir Walter Dwyer (27 August 1875 – 22 March 1950) was an Australian lawyer, politician, and judge. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1911 to 1914, and later serving as the presiding judge on the State Court of Arbitration from 1926 to 1945.

Early life Dwyer was born in Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary, Ireland. He emigrated to Australia in 1891, and initially lived in Melbourne, where he taught at Christian Brothers College, East Melbourne. In 1895, Dwyer moved to Western Australia, where he worked as a clerk in the Education Department. He also studied law part-time, serving his articles of clerkship in Kalgoorlie, and in 1906 completed a law degree (LL.B.) with the University of London through external study. Dwyer practised law in Kalgoorlie from 1907 to 1909, and then moved to Perth. He was called to the bar in 1907. In 1915 he co-founded the firm of Dwyer Durack with J. P. Durack, father of Peter Durack.

Politics At the 1911 state election, Dwyer stood as the Labor Party candidate for the seat of Perth, having joined the party only the previous year. While in parliament, Dwyer helped to draft legislation for the new Labor government of John Scaddan, including an industrial arbitration act, an act to protect borrowers of money, and an act to protect renters. He served in the position until 1945, and developed a reputation for fairness and impartiality, with a later source describing Western Australia's lack of industrial conflict as "largely due to the confidence in the court that he had created".

Dwyer was created a Knight Bachelor in the 1949 New Year Honours. Outside of his professional career, he was a trustee of the State Library of Western Australia, the Western Australian Museum, and the Art Gallery of Western Australia. Dwyer died in Perth in March 1950, aged 74. He had married Maude Mary Smith in 1912, with whom he had two daughters.