Sir John Clifford Valentine Behan KBE (8 May 1881 – 30 September 1957), the first Rhodes Scholar from the state of Victoria, was an Australian educationalist and lawyer, the second warden of Trinity College at the University of Melbourne, and "beyond the college life [at Trinity,] he was a sound and far-seeing secretary in Australia of the Rhodes Scholarship Trust for 30 years from 1922 to 1952".

[22][23] He was admitted to the Middle Temple of the Inns of Court and was a fellow of University College at Oxford, lecturing in law.

Nine of the applicants, those who "were considered to have the best claims", were interviewed, and six of those "were regarded by the committee as fully complying with the requirements as laid down by the late Mr. Cecil Rhodes".

[29] After "long consideration" by the committee a ballot was held, and "Mr. Behan was unanimously selected the first Rhodes scholar for Victoria.

[36] A similar resolution, in relation to future selection criteria, was passed by the Victorian Amateur Athletic Association on 20 July 1904,[37] and, on 27 August 1904, following a football match between the Adelaide and Melbourne universities, in his address to the Melbourne team, the captain of the Adelaide University team, the Norwood and SAFL interstate footballer Dean Dawson[38] stated that, Behan was warden of Trinity College, Melbourne, for 28 years, from May 1918—when he succeeded Alexander Leeper, who had been warden for 42 years[40]—until his retirement in May 1946.

[46] Both his and Bradman's investiture — by William McKell, the Governor-General of Australia — took place at Queen's Hall, Parliament House, Melbourne, on 15 March 1949.