Edmund Barton

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Rt Hon Sir Edmund Barton
1st Prime Minister of Australia Elections: 1901
In office 1 January 1901 – 24 September 1903
Preceded by	None
Succeeded by	Alfred Deakin
Born	18 January 1849 Glebe, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Died	7 January 1920 Medlow Bath, New South Wales, Australia
Political party	Protectionist

Sir Edmund Barton, GCMG, QC (18 January 1849 – 7 January 1920), Australian politician and judge, was the first Prime Minister of Australia and a founding justice of the High Court of Australia.

As the first Prime Minister of Australia, Barton has become something of a national icon, and is remembered for his statement (during an 1891 speech in the Sydney suburb of Ashfield) that "For the first time, we have a nation for a continent, and a continent for a nation." Today, Australians are much less inclined to remember his other well known statement at the time, "I do not think that the doctrine of the equality of man was really ever intended to include racial equality."

Most historians feel that in reality Barton was a fairly ordinary politician. His greatest contribution to Australian history was his management of the federation movement through the 1890s, when he showed real leadership. By the time he became Prime Minister he was ready to rest on his laurels. A large, handsome, jovial man, he was fond of long dinners and good wine, and earned the nickname "Toby Tosspot".^[1]

Contents 1 Early life 1.1 State politics 2 Federation 3 Judicial career 4 Family 5 Honours 6 Notes 7 References 8 See also

[edit] Early life

Barton was born in Sydney, the ninth child of William Barton, a stockbroker, and Mary Louise Barton. He was educated at Fort Street High School and Sydney Grammar School, where he was twice dux and school captain. He graduated with first class honours in classics from the University of Sydney, where he also demonstrated considerable skill at batting (but not in fielding) at cricket. Barton became a barrister in 1871. On a cricket trip to Newcastle in 1870, he met Jane Mason Ross, whom he married in 1877.^[2]

In 1879, Barton umpired a cricket game at Sydney Cricket Ground between New South Wales and an English touring side captained by Lord Harris. After a controversial decision by Barton's fellow umpire, the crowd spilled onto the pitch, leading to international cricket's first riot. Barton helped to defuse the situation, and gained much favourable publicity for his efforts, which helped him politically.

[edit] State politics

In 1876 Barton stood for the Legislative Assembly in the poll of the graduates of the University of Sydney (who were required to wear gowns for the occasion), but was beaten by William Charles Windeyer 49 votes to 43.^[3] He won the same seat in August 1879 and when it was abolished in 1880, he became the member for Wellington, from November 1880 to 1882, and East Sydney, from November 1882 to January 1887. In 1882, he became Speaker of the Assembly and, in 1884, was elected President of the University of Sydney Union. From 1887 to 1891, and again from 1897 to 1898, Barton sat in the Legislative Council. He was member for East Sydney from June 1891 to June 1894 and for Hastings and Macleay from September 1898 to February 1900. He was Attorney General between January and March 1889 and between October 1891 and December 1893.^[4]

During the 1890s Barton changed his economic views and joined the Protectionists, who were opposed to the Free Traders, led by Sir George Reid. The mutual dislike between Barton and Reid drove much of New South Wales politics in the 1890s.

[edit] Federation

Barton was a strong advocate of the federation of the Australian colonies, and after the death of Sir Henry Parkes he effectively led the federal movement in New South Wales. Giving up the chance of high office in New South Wales, he campaigned tirelessly for federation. In 1897 he was one of the delegates elected from New South Wales to the Constitutional Convention which developed a constitution for the proposed federation. Although Sir Samuel Griffith wrote most of the text of the Constitution, Barton was the political leader who carried it through the Convention.

In 1899 Barton campaigned for New South Wales to approve the new Constitution at a referendum, but Reid opposed him and the draft was rejected. Barton was forced to make a deal with Reid to get the Constitution approved at a second referendum. He then joined Alfred Deakin and other politicians in London to lobby the British Parliament to pass the federation bill.

Few people doubted that Barton, as the leading federalist in the oldest state, deserved to be the first Prime Minister of the new federation. But the newly arrived Governor-General, Lord Hopetoun, instead invited Sir William Lyne, the premier of New South Wales, to form a government. Since no federal Parliament had yet been established, the usual convention of appointing the leader of the largest party in the lower house could not and did not apply.

Hopetoun's decision can be defended on grounds that Lyne had seniority, but as an opponent of federation Lyne was unacceptable to prominent federalists such as Deakin, who refused to serve under him. After tense negotiations Barton was appointed Prime Minister and a ministry was formed. The main task of this ministry was to organise the conduct of the first federal elections, which were held in March 1901. Barton was elected unopposed to the new Parliament, and his Protectionist Party won enough seats to form a government with the support of the Labor Party.

The Barton government consisted of himself as Prime Minister and Minister for External Affairs, George Turner as Treasurer, Alfred Deakin as Attorney General, James Dickson as Minister for Defence, William Lyne as Minister for Home Affairs, Charles Kingston as Minister for Trade and Customs and John Forrest as Post-Master General.

The Barton government's first piece of legislation was the Immigration Restriction Act, which put the White Australia Policy into law. This was the price of the Labor Party's support for the government. One notable reform was the introduction of women's suffrage for federal elections in 1902. Barton was a moderate conservative, and advanced liberals in his party disliked his relaxed attitude to political life.

For much of 1902 Barton was in England for the coronation of King Edward VII. This trip was also used for the negotiation of a permanent British naval presence, to protect Australia against the marauding navies of the other powers, particularly Japan. In September 1903, Barton left Parliament to become one of the founding justices of the High Court of Australia. He was succeeded as Prime Minister by Alfred Deakin on 24 September.

[edit] Judicial career

On the bench Barton adopted the same position of moderate conservatism he had taken in politics. After 1906 he increasingly clashed with Isaac Isaacs and H.B. Higgins, the two advanced liberals appointed to the court by Deakin.

[edit] Family

Barton married Jane Mason Ross {1851 - 1938) on 28 December 1877 and they had six children:

• Edmund Alfred (29 May 1879 - 13 Nov 1949) a New South Wales judge
• Wilfrid Alexander (b. 1880)
• Jean Alice (b. 1882) married Sir David Maughan (1873-1955) in 1909
• Arnold Hubert (3 Jan 1884 -)
• Oswald (1888 - 5 Feb 1956)
• Leila Stephanie (b. 1892)

His numerous descendants are still prominent in Sydney.

Barton died at the Hydro Majestic Hotel, Medlow Bath, New South Wales.

[edit] Honours

He was made a Knight Grand Cross of St Michael and St George in 1902 after turning down knighthoods in 1887, 1891 and 1899.^[4]

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Serle, Percival. (1949). "Barton, Edmund". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Sydney: Angus and Robertson.
• Bolton, Geoffrey (2000). Edmund Barton: The One Man for the Job. St. Leonards, N.S.W: Allen and Unwin, 385. ISBN 1865084093. 
• Papers of Sir Edmund Barton / digitised and held by the National Library of Australia
• Edmund Barton — Our First Prime Minister online exhibition at the National Library of Australia.

[edit] See also

• George Burnett Barton, elder brother of Sir Edmund Barton.

Parliament of Australia
Preceded by None	Prime Minister of Australia 1901–1903	Succeeded by Alfred Deakin

Prime Ministers of Australia
Barton | Deakin | Watson | Reid | Fisher | Cook | Hughes | Bruce | Scullin | Lyons | Page | Menzies | Fadden | Curtin | Forde | Chifley | Holt | McEwen | Gorton | McMahon | Whitlam | Fraser | Hawke | Keating | Howard

Persondata
NAME	Barton, Edmund
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION	First Prime Minister of Australia and a founding justice of the High Court of Australia
DATE OF BIRTH	18 January 1849
PLACE OF BIRTH	Glebe, New South Wales
DATE OF DEATH	7 January 1920
PLACE OF DEATH	Medlow Bath, New South Wales