Legge, John David

Positions summary

Foundation Chair in History, 1960-1977; Dean of Faculty of Arts 1977-1986; Director of Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (Singapore), 1969-1970; Emeritus Professor 1987.

Biography

J. D. Legge was appointed Foundation Professor of History in 1960 and took up his appointment in January 1961. He was a graduate of the University of Melbourne where he obtained an MA in 1945. In 1953 he was admitted to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Balliol College, Oxford. Dr Legge's first academic appointment was as Lecturer in History at the University of Western Australia (1946-47, 1951-59) where he was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 1955 and subsequently became Reader. His special field of interest during those years was modern Indonesian history and in 1956 he was awarded a Carnegie travel grant to work in the Southeast Asian Program, Cornell University. In 1970 he was granted a year leave of absence for an appointment to Directorship of the Institute of South East Asian Studies in Singapore.

In 1977 Professor Legge was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Arts, a position he held until retirement in December 1986. Professor Legge founded the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies and served as Chairman of its Standing Committee. He also served on Council and on a wide range of Council and Professorial Board Committees. Outside the university he served as Chairman of the Asian Studies Association, Research Chairman of the Australian Institute of International Affairs, and Chairman of the Southeast Asia Microform Project. Since 1986 Emeritus Professor Legge has been an Executive Member of the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Board and was Acting Chairman in 1989-90. He was awarded the Order of Australia in 1988.

Professor Legge died on 4 February 2016.

Papers

Subject files 1951-2001
Collection of files and papers created prior to, during and after Prof. Legge's appointment as Dean of the Faculty of Arts. Includes correspondence, working papers, manuscripts, reports, appointment diaries, and papers of various Monash committees and outside organisations.  Also included are files related to supervision and examination of research students.

See also
Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia: Emeritus Professor John Legge