Sir James Augustine Gobbo, (22 March 1931 – 7 November 2021) was an Australian jurist who served as the 25th Governor of Victoria, from 1997 to 2000. Family and early life James Gobbo was born in Carlton, Victoria, on 22 March 1931, to Italian parents Antonio and Regina. In March 1935 the family returned to Cittadella, Padua, Italy, where a sister, Natalina, was born shortly after. Three years later the family, which also included a brother, Flavio, arrived back in Australia to take up permanent residency in North Melbourne, Victoria. Gobbo, then aged seven, spoke no English at the time of his return, and his father, who had started a café, felt the time was right for him to receive a Catholic education. Gobbo's early schooling included St Mary's Primary School, West Melbourne and later St Joseph's CBC, North Melbourne. In 1944 he was accepted into Xavier College. He was a member of the Xavier College crew that won the 1948 Associated Public Schools Head of the River. After leaving Xavier College, he studied law at the University of Melbourne during which time he lived at Newman College. In 1951 he was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship, following which he attained a Master of Arts degree at Magdalen College, University of Oxford. In 1957 Gobbo married former librarian Shirley Lewis, and had five children. His son, James Gobbo Jr., was the Liberal candidate for the district of Bentleigh in the 2006 Victorian state election. Judicial career After many years as a barrister and later as a Queen's Counsel, Gobbo was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria. He served from 18 July 1978 until he retired from the bench on 14 February 1994. Vice-regal career Gobbo served as Lieutenant-Governor of Victoria from 1995 until he was appointed Governor of Victoria in 1997 by Queen Elizabeth II on the advice of the Victorian premier, Jeff Kennett. He was the first Australian state governor of Italian descent. Gobbo's term of office was to be shorter than the usual five years, due to the uncertain outcome of the looming 1999 Australian republic referendum. If a republic had come into effect, then the governorship of Victoria would have been abolished from 1 January 2001. In August 2000 the new premier, Steve Bracks, announced that Gobbo's successor would be John Landy, who would take up his post in January 2001. Gobbo immediately made it