Stephen, Sir Alfred, 1802 – 1894

Sir Alfred Stephen (1802-1894), judge and parliamentarian, was born at Basseterre, St. Christopher, West Indies, son of John and Mary Anne Stephen. He returned to England in 1804 and was educated at various schools before he entered Lincoln's Inn in 1818 to read for the English Bar to which he was admitted in 1823.

Stephen and his first wife Virginia, nee Consett, arrived at Hobart in 1825 and he was appointed Solicitor-General. After the death of his first wife in 1837 Stephen remarried to Eleanor Martha Pickard, daughter of Rev. W. Bedford. He transferred his family to Sydney in 1839 accepting a temporary position as judge and was appointed puisne judge in 1841. In 1845 Stephen was appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of NSW.

Stephen was appointed a member of the NSW Legislative Council in the first parliament after responsible government in 1856 and as President of the Council from 1856 to 1857 prepared the rules and forms of the House and those respecting communication between both houses. He introduced law reform bills to the House. Stephen was a member of the Legislative Council on four separate occasions from 1856 to 1858, 1875 to 1879, 1879 to 1885, and 1885 to 1890. Stephen retired as Chief Justice in 1873 but remained active in public life until his death in 1894. [ref:ADB 6]