Page:History of Adelaide and vicinity.djvu/322

 296 ADELAIDE AND VICINITY Hon. Sir John W. Downer, K.G.M.G., Q.C., M.R P PERHAPS no Colony in the British rcahn can boast of a higher standard of legal attainment than that which is to be found in South Australia. It is also a noticeable and gratifying feature that the capabilities of most of these legal luminaries have been utilisetl in the political arena of the country. Not only has their lustre enhanced the more parochial domain of South Australian legis- lation, but has also shone in a marked degree in the higher dis- cussions of intercolonial and foreign questions. The noble ideal of building up an Australian Com- monwealth has received a stimulus towards its realisation by these able constitutional architects. The name of Sir John Downer has, from its conception to its cradle, been jjrominently con- nected with the advancement of this statesmanlike aim. Though in South Australia he has won no uncertain political laurels, his in- fluence and legislative merits are widely recognised and appraised beyond the boundaries of his native soil. His career is an inseparable portion of South Aus- tralian political progression, and, as a native of Adelaide, his public conduct must give especial pleasure to its inhabitants. Hammer &= Co. Photo John W. Dowuer was born in Adelaide on July 5, 1844, and received his early education at St. Peter's College. He afterwards studied for law, being called to the .South Australian Bar in 1868. The work of acquiring a good clientele in those days was no popinjay's task ; but Sir John Downer forged the way, and, with his equally well-known brother, Mr. George Downer, established the firm of G. & J. Downer- one of the largest legal houses in South Australia. .Sir John had shown for several years an active interest in the public questions that affected the political weal of the Province, and in 1878 he contested and won a seat