Jim Kennan

{{Short description|Australian politician (1946–2010)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2015}}

{{Use Australian English|date=June 2015}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix = The Honourable

| name = Jim Kennan

| honorific-suffix = {{post-nominals|country=AUS|size=100%|SC}}

| nationality = Australian

| image =

| alt =

| caption =

| office1 = 23rd Deputy Premier of Victoria

| term_start1 = 10 August 1990

| term_end1 = 6 October 1992

| premier1 = Joan Kirner

| predecessor1 = Joan Kirner

| successor1 = Pat McNamara

| office2 = Leader of the Opposition of Victoria

| term_start2 = 22 March 1993

| term_end2 = 29 June 1993

| premier2 = Jeff Kennett

| deputy2 = Bob Sercombe

| predecessor2 = Joan Kirner

| successor2 = John Brumby

| office3 = Leader of the Labor Party in Victoria

| term_start3 = 22 March 1993

| term_end3 = 29 June 1993

| deputy3 = Bob Sercombe

| predecessor3 = Joan Kirner

| successor3 = John Brumby

| office4 = Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly for Broadmeadows

| term_start4 = 1 October 1988

| term_end4 = 29 June 1993

| predecessor4 = Jack Culpin

| successor4 = John Brumby

| office5 = Member of the Victorian Legislative Council for Thomastown

| term_start5 = 1 June 1982

| term_end5 = 23 August 1988

| predecessor5 = Dolph Eddy

| successor5 = Abolished

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1946|2|25|df=y}}

| birth_place = Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|2010|8|4|1946|2|25}}

| death_place =

| birthname = James Harley Kennan

| party = Labor Party

| spouse = Janet Alexander (m. 1969)

| relations =

| children =

| profession = Barrister

| alma_mater = University of Melbourne

}}

James Harley Kennan SC (25 February 1946 – 4 August 2010){{cite re-member |num2=1333 |name=James Harley Kennan |access-date=27 August 2022}} was an Australian politician and later adjunct professor of law at Deakin University.

{{cite web

|url=http://www.deakin.edu.au/buslaw/law/staff/kennan.php

|title=Jim Kennan

|access-date=3 September 2014

|publisher=Deakin University

|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070417033841/http://www.deakin.edu.au/buslaw/law/staff/kennan.php

|archivedate=17 April 2007

|url-status=dead

}}

Kennan earned a Master of Laws from the University of Melbourne. He was a member of parliament between 1982 and 1993, initially in the Victorian Legislative Council, and then in the Legislative Assembly as the member for Broadmeadows and was Deputy Premier of Victoria from 1990 to 1992.

After the defeat of the Labor Party Government at the 1992 state election, and the later retirement of leader Joan Kirner in March 1993 he became the Leader of the Opposition until his shock retirement from Parliament three months later. He was succeeded as leader and member for Broadmeadows by a former member of the Legislative Council, John Brumby. To date, Kennan is the last Victorian Labor leader who did not become Premier.

In the early 1990s, Kennan was identified as part of the informal "Victorian Independents" faction within the ALP, along with John Button, Michael Duffy and Barry Jones.{{cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/127236077|title=Kennan opts out of the grind|newspaper=The Canberra Times|date=1 July 1993}}

He worked as a Senior Counsel in the Victorian legal system, most notably representing Jack Thomas at his re-trial on terrorism charges in late 2008.{{cite news|author=Sarah-Jane Collins|title=Jack Thomas spared further jail time|url=http://www.theage.com.au/national/jack-thomas-spared-further-jail-time-20081029-5ba0.html|work=The Age|publisher=The Age|date=29 October 2008|access-date=2008-10-30}}