Sir Edmund BARTON (1849 - 1920)**

Date of Birth: 18/01/1849 Place of Birth: Glebe, New South Wales, Australia Date of Death: 07/01/1920 Place of Death: Medlow Bath, New South Wales, Australia

Parliamentary Service

Position Start End Period Notes Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly 26 Aug 1879 26 Jan 1887 7yr(s) 5mth(s) 1day(s) Member of the NSW Legislative Council 8 Mar 1887 12 Jun 1891 4yr(s) 3mth(s) 5day(s) Life Appointment under the Constitution Act: Date of Writ of Summons 2 February 1887. Granted retention of title of "Honourable" for life. Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly 17 Jun 1891 25 Jun 1894 3yr(s) 9day(s) Member of the NSW Legislative Council 12 May 1897 18 Jul 1898 1yr(s) 2mth(s) 7day(s) Life Appointment under the Constitution Act. Date of Writ of Summons 8 May 1897 Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly 28 Sep 1898 7 Feb 1900 1yr(s) 4mth(s) 11day(s) Member for University of Sydney 26 Aug 1879 9 Nov 1880 1yr(s) 2mth(s) 15day(s) 9th (1877 - 1880) Member for Wellington 22 Nov 1880 23 Nov 1882 2yr(s) 2day(s) 10th (1880 - 1882) Member for East Sydney 30 Nov 1882 7 Oct 1885 2yr(s) 10mth(s) 8day(s) 11th (1882 - 1885) Member for East Sydney 16 Oct 1885 26 Jan 1887 1yr(s) 3mth(s) 11day(s) 12th (1885 - 1887) Member for East Sydney 17 Jun 1891 26 Oct 1891 4mth(s) 10day(s) 15th (1891 - 1894) Member for East Sydney 7 Nov 1891 25 Jun 1894 2yr(s) 7mth(s) 19day(s) 15th (1891 - 1894) Member for Hastings and Macleay 28 Sep 1898 7 Feb 1900 1yr(s) 4mth(s) 11day(s) 18th (1898 - 1901) Attorney General 17 Jan 1889 7 Mar 1889 1mth(s) 19day(s) Attorney General 23 Oct 1891 14 Dec 1893 2yr(s) 1mth(s) 22day(s) Speaker of the Legislative Assembly 3 Jan 1883 31 Jan 1887 4yr(s) 29day(s) Attorney General and Representative of Government 17 Jan 1889 7 Mar 1889 1mth(s) 19day(s) Dismissal of Mr Daniels, Railway Trial Surveyor Committee No.21 16 Apr 1880 13 Jul 1880 2mths 28days 10th (1880 - 1882) Library Committee No.2 17 Dec 1880 6 Apr 1881 3mths 21days 10th (1880 - 1882) Church of England Trust Property Incorporation Bill Committee No.11 28 Jan 1881 22 Feb 1881 26days 10th (1880 - 1882) Osborne’s Leasing Bill Committee No.18 22 Mar 1881 6 Apr 1881 16days 10th (1880 - 1882) Bates’s Estate Bill Committee No.19 23 Mar 1881 29 Mar 1881 7days 10th (1880 - 1882) Chairman Library Committee No.3 6 Jul 1881 20 Dec 1881 5mths 15days 10th (1880 - 1882) Osborne’s Leasing Bill Committee No.10 15 Jul 1881 5 Aug 1881 22days 10th (1880 - 1882) Elections and Qualifications Committee No.5 25 Aug 1882 28 Sep 1882 1mth 4days 10th (1880 - 1882) Library Committee No.2 30 Aug 1882 21 Nov 1882 2mths 23days 10th (1880 - 1882) Standing Orders Committee No.3 18 Jan 1883 2 May 1883 3mths 15days 11th (1882 - 1885) Library Committee No.2 18 Jan 1883 2 May 1883 3mths 15days 11th (1882 - 1885) Standing Orders Committee No.3 10 Oct 1883 1 Nov 1884 1yr 23days 11th (1882 - 1885) Library Committee No.2 10 Oct 1883 1 Nov 1884 1yr 23days 11th (1882 - 1885) Standing Orders Committee No.2 19 Nov 1884 27 Nov 1884 9days 11th (1882 - 1885) Library Committee No.3 19 Nov 1884 27 Nov 1884 9days 11th (1882 - 1885) Standing Orders Committee No.2 17 Mar 1885 27 Mar 1885 11days 12th (1885 - 1887) Library Committee No.3 17 Mar 1885 27 Mar 1885 11days 12th (1885 - 1887) Library Committee No.6 24 Sep 1885 2 Oct 1885 9days 12th (1885 - 1887) Standing Orders Committee No.5 24 Sep 1885 2 Oct 1885 9days 12th (1885 - 1887) Library Committee No.4 3 Dec 1885 25 Oct 1886 10mths 23days 12th (1885 - 1887) Standing Orders Committee No.2 28 Jul 1891 1 Apr 1892 8mths 5days 15th (1891 - 1894) Willoughby and Gordon Tramway Act Amending Bill Committee No.13 25 Aug 1891 15 Sep 1891 22days 15th (1891 - 1894) Simpson’s Railway Bill Committee No.19 8 Sep 1891 24 Nov 1891 2mths 17days 15th (1891 - 1894) Watkins Wallis Trust Estate Bill Committee No.26 15 Dec 1891 22 Dec 1891 8days 15th (1891 - 1894) Refreshment Committee No.7 5 Oct 1892 18 Oct 1892 14days 15th (1891 - 1894) Library Committee No.6 5 Oct 1892 18 Oct 1892 14days 15th (1891 - 1894) Standing Orders Committee No.5 5 Oct 1892 18 Oct 1892 14days 15th (1891 - 1894) Vice Suppression Bill Committee No.11 25 Oct 1892 18 Oct 1892 15th (1891 - 1894) Lee and Brady Settlement Bill Committee No.19 14 Feb 1893 1 Mar 1893 16days 15th (1891 - 1894) Case of John Deniff Committee No.27 7 Jun 1893 13 Jun 1893 7days 15th (1891 - 1894) Standing Orders Committee No.3 27 Sep 1893 8 Dec 1893 2mths 12days 15th (1891 - 1894) Vice Suppression Bill Committee No.6 27 Sep 1893 8 Dec 1893 2mths 12days 15th (1891 - 1894) Refreshment Committee No.5 27 Sep 1893 8 Dec 1893 2mths 12days 15th (1891 - 1894) Bankruptcy Act Amendment Bill Committee No.13 1 Dec 1893 8 Dec 1893 8days 15th (1891 - 1894) Standing Orders Committee No.3 23 Jan 1894 5 Jun 1894 4mths 14days 16th (1894 - 1895) Refreshment Committee No.5 23 Jan 1894 11 Jun 1894 4mths 20days 16th (1894 - 1895) Bankruptcy Act Amendment Bill Committee No.7 25 Jan 1894 5 Jun 1894 4mths 12days 16th (1894 - 1895) Standing Orders Committee No.2 13 Apr 1899 21 Apr 1899 9days 18th (1898 - 1901) Library Committee No.3 13 Apr 1899 21 Apr 1899 9days 18th (1898 - 1901) Library Committee No.5 2 Aug 1899 10 Oct 1899 2mths 9days 18th (1898 - 1901) Library Committee No.5 2 Aug 1899 10 Oct 1899 2mths 9days 18th (1898 - 1901) Library Committee No.5 2 Aug 1899 10 Oct 1899 2mths 9days 18th (1898 - 1901) Standing Orders Committee No.4 8 Aug 1899 23 Dec 1899 4mths 16days 18th (1898 - 1901)

Qualifications, occupations and interests

Lawyer (Solicitor and Barrister). Educated at Fort Street Model School and Sydney Grammar School. University of Sydney (B.A ) (1868) and M.A (1870) Admitted to the Bar on 21 December 1871, becoming a Queens Counsel (QC) in 1889. Senior Puisne Judge of High Court of Australia 1903 - 1920. Privy Councillor in 1901.

Honours Received

Knight Grand Cross of St. Michael and St. George (GCMG) in 1902, after refusing knighthoods in 1887, 1891 and 1899

Membership of other Parliaments & Offices Held

Member of the Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia. Member of the House of Representatives for Hunter 1901 - 1903. First Prime Minister of Australia and Minister for External Affairs 1901 - 1903

Personal

Son of William Barton, financial agent and sharebroker, and his wife Mary Louisa Whydale. Married Jane Mason Ross on 28 December 1877 and had issue, 2 daughters and 4 sons.

Additional Information

Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 7 G. C. Bolton, 'Edmund Barton', 2000 National Archives of Australia Fact Sheet 210: 'Edmund Barton Prime Minister of Australia 1901-03' http://www.naa.gov.au/fsheets/fs210.html National Archives of Australia, 'Australia's Prime Ministers' Website http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/ Personal papers in the Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales: 1. Edmund Barton - papers, 1832-1919 (MLMSS 249) 2. Sir Edmund Barton - letters received, July 1894- March 1916, with annotated printed pages of preamble to the Federal Convention of 1898. (MLMSS 1901) 3. Sir Edmund Barton - T.L.S to J.L Weingarth, 1898, being copy. (MLDOC 2371) 4. Sir Edmund Barton - letters and papers, 1885- (Ab 145) 5. Sir Edmund Barton - letter received from Henry Parkes, 1893 (MLDOC 477). 6. Sir Edmund Barton - letter received from Nat Barnett, 1900 (MLDOC 511a). Sir David Maughan - papers, 1923-1942, together with Barton family papers, 1825-1902 (MLMSS 378). 8. Sir Edmund Barton - papers concerning Australian Federation, 1881-1898 (MLMSS 7208) ; photographs in the PICMAN Database. Text from the book: 'The Presiding Officers of the Parliament of New South Wales', Sydney, 1995 Edmund Barton was born on 18 January 1849 at Glebe in Sydney. He married Jane (Jean) Mason Ross in 1877 and they had four sons and two daughters. He was admitted to the Bar in 1871, becoming a Queen's Counsel in 1889. After defeats in 1876 and 1877 Barton entered the Legislative Assembly as the Member for the University of Sydney in 1879. When the University was disfranchised the following year he successfully contested the seat of Wellington, and remained the Member until the general elections in 1882 when he became the Member for East Sydney. Elected Speaker of the Legislative Assembly on 3 January 1883 he occupied the Chair for four years until he lost his seat in the lower house. As Speaker he displayed a sound knowledge of procedure. In 1884 he had to introduce new Standing Orders to control a number of unruly members, such as David Buchanan, whose behaviour brought upon the Assembly its reputation as the `bearpit of Macquarie Street'. He was nominated to the Legislative Council in 1889 and joined the Dibbs Cabinet as Attorney General but that Ministry lasted only a few weeks. That same year Barton was one of the New South Wales representatives at the Federal Convention and he became an important member of the Constitution Committee that framed the first draft of a bill to constitute the Commonwealth of Australia. When Barton again entered the Legislative Assembly in 1891 as the Member for East Sydney he joined the Dibbs Ministry but the government was defeated upon a motion of censure in 1893. From August until September of 1892 Barton was the acting Premier of New South Wales. Entering Federal politics at Federation, Barton became the Member of the House of Representatives for Hunter. In 1901 Edmund Barton became Australia's first Prime Minister, holding this position until 23 September 1903 when he resigned from office; a few days later he was appointed to the High Court of Australia, acting as Chief Justice in 1911. He died suddenly in January 1920 at Medlow Bath in New South Wales.

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