Sir Edmund Barton (1849 - 1920)

Date of birth:

Thu 18 January 1849

Place of birth:

Glebe, New South Wales, Australia

Date of death:

Wed 07 January 1920

Place of death:

Medlow Bath, New South Wales, Australia

Parliamentary activity

Information about members' parliamentary service including their positions held and biography.

Positions
PositionStartEndPeriodNotes
Standing Orders Committee No.4 Tue 08 August 1899Sat 23 December 18994 months 16 days
Library Committee No.5 Wed 02 August 1899Tue 10 October 18992 months 9 days
Library Committee No.5 Wed 02 August 1899Tue 10 October 18992 months 9 days
Library Committee No.5 Wed 02 August 1899Tue 10 October 18992 months 9 days
Library Committee No.3 Thu 13 April 1899Fri 21 April 18999 days
Standing Orders Committee No.2 Thu 13 April 1899Fri 21 April 18999 days
Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly Wed 28 September 1898Wed 07 February 19001 year 4 months 11 days
Member for Hastings and Macleay Wed 28 September 1898Wed 07 February 19001 year 4 months 11 days
Member of the NSW Legislative Council Wed 12 May 1897Mon 18 July 18981 year 2 months 7 daysLife Appointment under the Constitution Act. Date of Writ of Summons 8 May 1897
Bankruptcy Act Amendment Bill Committee No.7 Thu 25 January 1894Tue 05 June 18944 months 12 days
Refreshment Committee No.5 Tue 23 January 1894Mon 11 June 18944 months 20 days
Standing Orders Committee No.3 Tue 23 January 1894Tue 05 June 18944 months 14 days
Bankruptcy Act Amendment Bill Committee No.13 Fri 01 December 1893Fri 08 December 18938 days
Vice Suppression Bill Committee No.6 Wed 27 September 1893Fri 08 December 18932 months 12 days
Refreshment Committee No.5 Wed 27 September 1893Fri 08 December 18932 months 12 days
Standing Orders Committee No.3 Wed 27 September 1893Fri 08 December 18932 months 12 days
Case of John Deniff Committee No.27 Wed 07 June 1893Tue 13 June 18937 days
Lee and Brady Settlement Bill Committee No.19 Tue 14 February 1893Wed 01 March 189316 days
Vice Suppression Bill Committee No.11 Tue 25 October 1892Tue 18 October 1892
Refreshment Committee No.7 Wed 05 October 1892Tue 18 October 189214 days
Standing Orders Committee No.5 Wed 05 October 1892Tue 18 October 189214 days
Library Committee No.6 Wed 05 October 1892Tue 18 October 189214 days
Watkins Wallis Trust Estate Bill Committee No.26 Tue 15 December 1891Tue 22 December 18918 days
Member for East Sydney Sat 07 November 1891Mon 25 June 18942 years 7 months 19 days
Attorney General Fri 23 October 1891Thu 14 December 18932 years 1 month 22 days
Simpson’s Railway Bill Committee No.19 Tue 08 September 1891Tue 24 November 18912 months 17 days
Willoughby and Gordon Tramway Act Amending Bill Committee No.13 Tue 25 August 1891Tue 15 September 189122 days
Standing Orders Committee No.2 Tue 28 July 1891Fri 01 April 18928 months 5 days
Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly Wed 17 June 1891Mon 25 June 18943 years 9 days
Member for East Sydney Wed 17 June 1891Mon 26 October 18914 months 10 days
Attorney General Thu 17 January 1889Thu 07 March 18891 month 19 days
Attorney General and Representative of Government Thu 17 January 1889Thu 07 March 18891 month 19 days
Member of the NSW Legislative Council Tue 08 March 1887Fri 12 June 18914 years 3 months 5 daysLife Appointment under the Constitution Act: Date of Writ of Summons 2 February 1887. Granted retention of title of "Honourable" for life.
Library Committee No.4 Thu 03 December 1885Mon 25 October 188610 months 23 days
Member for East Sydney Fri 16 October 1885Wed 26 January 18871 year 3 months 11 days
Standing Orders Committee No.5 Thu 24 September 1885Fri 02 October 18859 days
Library Committee No.6 Thu 24 September 1885Fri 02 October 18859 days
Standing Orders Committee No.2 Tue 17 March 1885Fri 27 March 188511 days
Library Committee No.3 Tue 17 March 1885Fri 27 March 188511 days
Library Committee No.3 Wed 19 November 1884Thu 27 November 18849 days
Standing Orders Committee No.2 Wed 19 November 1884Thu 27 November 18849 days
Library Committee No.2 Wed 10 October 1883Sat 01 November 18841 year 23 days
Standing Orders Committee No.3 Wed 10 October 1883Sat 01 November 18841 year 23 days
Library Committee No.2 Thu 18 January 1883Wed 02 May 18833 months 15 days
Standing Orders Committee No.3 Thu 18 January 1883Wed 02 May 18833 months 15 days
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Wed 03 January 1883Mon 31 January 18874 years 29 days
Member for East Sydney Thu 30 November 1882Wed 07 October 18852 years 10 months 10 days
Library Committee No.2 Wed 30 August 1882Tue 21 November 18822 months 23 days
Elections and Qualifications Committee No.5 Fri 25 August 1882Thu 28 September 18821 month 4 days
Osborne’s Leasing Bill Committee No.10 Fri 15 July 1881Fri 05 August 188122 days
Library Committee No.3 Wed 06 July 1881Tue 20 December 18815 months 15 days
Bates’s Estate Bill Committee No.19 Wed 23 March 1881Tue 29 March 18817 daysChairman
Osborne’s Leasing Bill Committee No.18 Tue 22 March 1881Wed 06 April 188116 days
Church of England Trust Property Incorporation Bill Committee No.11 Fri 28 January 1881Tue 22 February 188126 days
Library Committee No.2 Fri 17 December 1880Wed 06 April 18813 months 21 days
Member for Wellington Mon 22 November 1880Thu 23 November 18822 years 2 days
Dismissal of Mr Daniels, Railway Trial Surveyor Committee No.21 Fri 16 April 1880Tue 13 July 18802 months 28 days
Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly Tue 26 August 1879Wed 26 January 18877 years 5 months 1 day
Member for University of Sydney Tue 26 August 1879Tue 09 November 18801 year 2 months 15 days
Biography

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 information

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.

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.

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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