Sir Joseph Palmer ABBOTT (1842 - 1901)**

Date of Birth: 29/09/1842 Place of Birth: Muswellbrook, New South Wales, Australia Date of Death: 15/09/1901 Place of Death: Turramurra, New South Wales, Australia

Parliamentary Service

Position Start End Period Notes Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly 29 Nov 1880 11 Jun 1901 20yr(s) 6mth(s) 14day(s) Member for Gunnedah 29 Nov 1880 23 Nov 1882 1yr(s) 11mth(s) 26day(s) 10th (1880 - 1882) Member for Gunnedah 20 Dec 1882 5 Jan 1883 17day(s) 11th (1882 - 1885) Member for Gunnedah 11 Jan 1883 7 Oct 1885 2yr(s) 8mth(s) 27day(s) 11th (1882 - 1885) Member for Gunnedah 19 Oct 1885 26 Jan 1887 1yr(s) 3mth(s) 8day(s) 12th (1885 - 1887) Member for Wentworth 26 Feb 1887 19 Jan 1889 1yr(s) 10mth(s) 25day(s) 13th (1887 - 1889) Member for Wentworth 31 Jan 1889 6 Jun 1891 2yr(s) 4mth(s) 7day(s) 14th (1889 - 1891) Member for Wentworth 18 Jun 1891 25 Jun 1894 3yr(s) 8day(s) 15th (1891 - 1894) Member for Wentworth 17 Jul 1894 5 Jul 1895 11mth(s) 19day(s) 16th (1894 - 1895) Member for Wentworth 24 Jul 1895 8 Jul 1898 2yr(s) 11mth(s) 15day(s) 17th (1895 - 1898) Member for Wentworth 27 Jul 1898 11 Jun 1901 2yr(s) 10mth(s) 16day(s) 18th (1898 - 1901) Secretary for Mines 5 Jan 1883 6 Oct 1885 2yr(s) 9mth(s) 2day(s) Secretary for Lands 7 Oct 1885 21 Dec 1885 2mth(s) 15day(s) Speaker of the Legislative Assembly 22 Oct 1890 12 Jun 1900 9yr(s) 7mth(s) 22day(s) Elections and Qualifications Committee No.7 17 Dec 1880 15 Mar 1881 2mths 27days 10th (1880 - 1882) The Governor’s Opening Speech Committee No.1 5 Jul 1881 5 Jul 1881 1day 10th (1880 - 1882) Lands granted to the Australian Agricultural Company Committee No.7 8 Jul 1881 13 Dec 1881 5mths 6days 10th (1880 - 1882) Chairman Institute of Surveyors Incorporation Bill Committee No.17 6 Sep 1881 11 Oct 1881 1mth 6days 10th (1880 - 1882) Borough of Newcastle Leasing and Improving Bill Committee No.23 21 Oct 1881 28 Oct 1881 8days 10th (1880 - 1882) Mrs Clyne’s Conditional Purchase Committee No.6 12 Sep 1882 2 Nov 1882 1mth 22days 10th (1880 - 1882) Mineral Lease at Vegetable Creek Committee No.7 12 Sep 1882 21 Nov 1882 2mths 10days 10th (1880 - 1882) Chairman Albury Gas Company’s Bill Committee No.14 24 Oct 1882 3 Nov 1882 11days 10th (1880 - 1882) McIlveen and Clift’s Conditional Purchase Committee No.26 18 Dec 1883 29 Oct 1884 10mths 12days 11th (1882 - 1885) Patrick Hannan’s Mining Claim at Temora Committee No.27 20 Dec 1883 2 Jul 1884 6mths 13days 11th (1882 - 1885) Great Cobar Copper Mining Company’s Tramway Bill Committee No.28 23 Jan 1884 19 Feb 1884 28days 11th (1882 - 1885) Claim of Matthew McIvor to a Tin Mine at Pheasant’s Creek Committee No.42 25 Mar 1884 9 Oct 1884 6mths 15days 11th (1882 - 1885) Whaling Road, North Shore Committee No.46 6 May 1884 1 Nov 1884 5mths 27days 11th (1882 - 1885) Road through Mr Polson’s property, Manning River Committee No.53 11 Jul 1884 1 Nov 1884 3mths 22days 11th (1882 - 1885) Point Piper Road Committee No.57 13 Aug 1884 1 Nov 1884 2mths 20days 11th (1882 - 1885) Evan McIntosh’s Conditional Purchase at Currabubula Committee No.8 4 Dec 1885 25 Oct 1886 10mths 22days 12th (1885 - 1887) Hay Gas Bill Committee No.16 4 Feb 1886 13 Apr 1886 2mths 10days 12th (1885 - 1887) New South Wales Trustees Executors and Agency Company’s Bill Committee No.19 16 Feb 1886 11 May 1886 2mths 26days 12th (1885 - 1887) Bishopscourt Sale and Leasing Bill Committee No.29 31 Mar 1886 18 May 1886 1mth 18days 12th (1885 - 1887) Sydney Corporation Act Amendment Bill Committee No.38 14 May 1886 14 May 1886 1day 12th (1885 - 1887) Settled Estates Bill Committee No.39 14 May 1886 3 Sep 1886 3mths 21days 12th (1885 - 1887) Mrs Payten’s Estate Leasing Bill Committee No.43 8 Jun 1886 24 Jun 1886 17days 12th (1885 - 1887) Chairman Inverell Church of England Lands Sale Bill Committee No.46 11 Jun 1886 6 Jul 1886 26days 12th (1885 - 1887) Chairman Privilege-Mr Barbour, MP Committee No.53 22 Jun 1886 22 Jul 1886 1mth 1day 12th (1885 - 1887) Willoughby and Gordon Tramway Bill Committee No.54 13 Jul 1886 3 Aug 1886 22days 12th (1885 - 1887) Standing Orders Committee No.3 15 Mar 1887 6 Apr 1887 23days 13th (1887 - 1889) Sydney Corporation Act Amendment Bill Committee No.24 19 May 1887 19 May 1887 1day 13th (1887 - 1889) Willoughby and Gordon Tramway Bill Committee No.25 19 May 1887 1 Jun 1887 14days 13th (1887 - 1889) Hay and Deniliquin Tramway Bill Committee No.26 2 Jun 1887 30 Jun 1887 29days 13th (1887 - 1889) North Shore Boroughs Wharves Bill Committee No.29 24 Jun 1887 13 Jul 1887 20days 13th (1887 - 1889) Standing Orders Committee No.2 21 Sep 1887 29 May 1888 8mths 9days 13th (1887 - 1889) Elections and Qualifications Committee No.6 22 Sep 1887 11 Oct 1887 20days 13th (1887 - 1889) North Shore Boroughs Wharves Bill Committee No.7 27 Sep 1887 17 May 1888 7mths 21days 13th (1887 - 1889) Crown Lands Purchases Validation Bill Committee No.9 28 Sep 1887 23 May 1888 7mths 26days 13th (1887 - 1889) Chairman Claims of Captain Rossi Committee No.13 29 Sep 1887 24 Jul 1888 9mths 26days 13th (1887 - 1889) Evan McIntosh’s Conditional Purchase at Currabubula Committee No.11 29 Sep 1887 24 Jul 1888 9mths 26days 13th (1887 - 1889) Mrs Ann Rouse’s Conditional Purchase, parish of Kahibah Committee No.22 25 Oct 1887 6 Jun 1888 7mths 13days 13th (1887 - 1889) Chairman Robert Munford’s Conditional Purchases, parish of Metz Committee No.39 20 Dec 1887 5 Jul 1888 6mths 16days 13th (1887 - 1889) Teralba Coal mining Reserve Committee No.59 8 Jun 1888 24 Jul 1888 1mth 17days 13th (1887 - 1889) Standing Orders Committee No.2 24 Oct 1888 27 Jan 1889 3mths 4days 13th (1887 - 1889) Conditional Purchase of Evan McIntosh, Currabubula Committee No.10 29 Nov 1888 16 Jan 1889 1mth 19days 13th (1887 - 1889) Elections and Qualifications Committee No.2 1 Mar 1889 25 Apr 1889 1mth 25days 13th (1887 - 1889) Conditional Purchases made upon Barratta Run Committee No.3 2 Apr 1889 4 Sep 1889 5mths 3days 13th (1887 - 1889) Standing Orders Committee No.4 3 Apr 1889 16 May 1889 1mth 14days 14th (1889 - 1891) Broken Hill Water Supply Bill Committee No.8 10 Apr 1889 10 Jul 1889 3mths 1day 14th (1889 - 1891) Illawarra Harbour and Land Corporation Bill Committee No.9 11 Apr 1889 5 Jun 1889 1mth 26days 14th (1889 - 1891) Silverton Tramway Extension Bill Committee No.16 6 Jun 1889 10 Oct 1889 4mths 5days 14th (1889 - 1891) Redhead Coalmine Railway Act Amending Bill Committee No.19 3 Jul 1889 17 Jul 1889 15days 14th (1889 - 1891) Elections and Qualifications Committee No.2 27 Nov 1889 21 Dec 1889 25days 14th (1889 - 1891) Standing Orders Committee No.3 27 Nov 1889 21 Dec 1889 25days 14th (1889 - 1891) Conditional Purchases of C.H Thatcher, Forbes Land District Committee No.8 3 Dec 1889 17 Dec 1889 15days 14th (1889 - 1891) Elections and Qualifications Committee No.2 30 Apr 1890 10 Dec 1889 14th (1889 - 1891) Conditional Purchases of C.H Thatcher, Forbes Land District Committee No.6 30 Apr 1890 23 Sep 1890 4mths 25days 14th (1889 - 1891) Standing Orders Committee No.3 30 Apr 1890 3 Dec 1890 7mths 4days 14th (1889 - 1891) Calaghan’s Conditional Purchases, Braidwood and Queanbeyan Committee No.32 9 Sep 1890 30 Oct 1890 1mth 22days 14th (1889 - 1891) Hay and Deniliquin Tramway Bill Committee No.34 23 Sep 1890 13 Nov 1890 1mth 22days 14th (1889 - 1891) Standing Orders Committee No.2 28 Jul 1891 1 Apr 1892 8mths 5days 15th (1891 - 1894) Chairman Library Committee No.3 28 Jul 1891 1 Apr 1892 8mths 5days 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 13 Jun 1893 8mths 9days 15th (1891 - 1894) Chairman Elections and Qualifications Committee No.2 27 Sep 1893 8 Dec 1893 2mths 12days 15th (1891 - 1894) Standing Orders Committee No.3 27 Sep 1893 8 Dec 1893 2mths 12days 15th (1891 - 1894) Library Committee No.4 27 Sep 1893 8 Dec 1893 2mths 12days 15th (1891 - 1894) Standing Orders Committee No.3 23 Jan 1894 5 Jun 1894 4mths 14days 16th (1894 - 1895) Chairman Library Committee No.4 23 Jan 1894 11 Jun 1894 4mths 20days 16th (1894 - 1895) Library Committee No. 3 29 Aug 1894 5 Jul 1895 10mths 7days 16th (1894 - 1895) Standing Orders Committee No. 2 29 Aug 1894 5 Jul 1895 10mths 7days 16th (1894 - 1895) Library. Committee No. 3 20 Aug 1895 8 Jul 1898 2yrs 10mths 19days 17th (1895 - 1898) Standing Orders. Committee No. 2 20 Aug 1895 8 Jul 1898 2yrs 10mths 19days 17th (1895 - 1898) Standing Orders Committee No.2 14 May 1896 16 Nov 1896 6mths 3days 17th (1895 - 1898) Chairman Refreshment Committee No.4 28 Apr 1897 10 Dec 1897 7mths 13days 17th (1895 - 1898) Refreshment Committee No. 3 28 Jun 1898 8 Jul 1898 11days 17th (1895 - 1898) Library Committee No. 4 28 Jun 1898 8 Jul 1898 11days 17th (1895 - 1898) Standing Orders Committee No. 2 28 Jun 1898 8 Jul 1898 11days 17th (1895 - 1898) Standing Orders Committee No. 3 25 Aug 1898 23 Dec 1898 3mths 29days 18th (1898 - 1901) Refreshment Committee No. 5 25 Aug 1898 23 Dec 1898 3mths 29days 18th (1898 - 1901) Library Committee No. 4 25 Aug 1898 23 Dec 1898 3mths 29days 18th (1898 - 1901) Refreshment Committee No.3 21 Feb 1899 30 Mar 1899 1mth 10days 18th (1898 - 1901) Standing Orders Committee No.1 21 Feb 1899 30 Mar 1899 1mth 10days 18th (1898 - 1901) Library Committee No.2 21 Feb 1899 30 Mar 1899 1mth 10days 18th (1898 - 1901) Library Committee No.3 13 Apr 1899 21 Apr 1899 9days 18th (1898 - 1901) Refreshment Committee No.4 13 Apr 1899 21 Apr 1899 9days 18th (1898 - 1901) Standing Orders Committee No.2 13 Apr 1899 21 Apr 1899 9days 18th (1898 - 1901) Library Committee No.5 2 Aug 1899 23 Dec 1899 4mths 22days 18th (1898 - 1901) Standing Orders Committee No.4 8 Aug 1899 23 Dec 1899 4mths 16days 18th (1898 - 1901) Chairman Standing Orders Committee No.4 20 Jun 1900 24 Jul 1900 1mth 5days 18th (1898 - 1901) Names for Electorates, Federal Parliament Committee No.17 16 Aug 1900 30 Aug 1900 15days 18th (1898 - 1901)

Community Activity

Member of Union Club; Freemason from 1864; Grand Master United Grand Lodge of New South Wales 1895 - 1899, New South Wales Delegate to Federal Conventions 1891 (where acted as Chairman of Committees) and 1897 - 1898.

Qualifications, occupations and interests

Lawyer (solicitor). Educated Church of England school Muswellbrook; John Armstrong's school Redfern; J. R. Huston's Surrey Hills Academy; and the King's School, Parramatta. Articled to his uncle, Robert Palmer Abbott 1858 - 1859 and later to Alexander Dick ; manager of the common law branch of Montagu Consett Stephen's office in 1863; admitted as a solicitor 1865; set up practice with G. Pilcher in West Maitland; soon began practice in Murrundi, specialising in land cases; Commissioner of the Supreme Court of New South Wales in 1872; came to Sydney in 1880, founding the law firm of Abbott & Allen.

Honours Received

Knighted in 1892; Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in 1895.1883,

Personal

Elder son of John Kingsmill Abbott, squatter, and Frances Amanda Brady. Married (1) Matilda Elizabeth Macartney in 1873, (died 1880), and they had 1 daughter and 2 sons. Married (2) Edith Solomon in 1883 and had issue, 3 daughters and 1 son. Church of England. His son, Macartney Abbott, was also a Member of the Legislative Assembly.

Additional Information

Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 3 Personal papers in the Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales: 1. Sir Joseph Palmer Abbott papers, 1873 - 1898 (A3808); 2. Sir Joseph Palmer Abbott - letters received 1885 - 1900 (MLMSS 718); 3. Sir Joseph Palmer Abbott - papers, 1890 - 1898 (MLMSS 2668). Text from the book: 'The Presiding Officers of the Parliament of New South Wales', Sydney, 1995 Joseph Abbott was born on 29 September 1842 at Muswellbrook in New South Wales. A successful rural solicitor with extensive pastoral interests, he established a strong legal reputation and from 1872 he was a Commissioner of the Supreme Court of New South Wales for the Maitland Circuit. He married Matilda Macartney in 1873. She died in 1880 and in 1883 he married Edith Solomon. He had two sons and one daughter with his first wife and one son and three daughter with his second wife. Abbott entered the Legislative Assembly as the Member for Gunnedah in 1880 and despite declining to contest the 1887 election he was re-elected as the Member for Wentworth. From 1883 until 1885 he held the portfolio of Secretary for Mines in the Stuart Ministry and he was Secretary for Lands under George Dibbs in 1885. Although he sat with Dibbs in opposition, he later took an independent stand and distanced himself from the Protectionist faction. As the unofficial head of the Independents in the Lower House, Abbott was considered by many to be a third political leader. Despite narrowly losing the election for Speaker in 1889 he went on to chair the Public Works Committee, concentrating primarily on administrative reform. Abbott was elected Speaker of the Legislative Assembly in 1890 and rapidly developed a reputation as an authority on parliamentary procedure. He also assumed a firm and dignified control over a hitherto unruly Assembly, making a ruling that members had to rise from their seats, take off their hats and speak clearly and audibly whenever they wished to address the Speaker. He resigned the Speakership in 1900 and retired from Parliament in 1901. As a leading advocate of Federation, Abbott was chosen to be a New South Wales delegate to the Federal Conventions of 1891,1897 and 1898 where he acted as Chairman of Committees. He died on 15 September 1901 at Turramurra in New South Wales.

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