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Edmund BartonAustralian politician
Date of Birth: 18.01.1849
Country:  Australia |
Content:
- Edmund Barton: The Father of the Australian Federation
- Legal and Political Career
- Role in the Australian Federation
- Premier of New South Wales
- Federal Resolutions and Resignation
- Constitutional Convention
- Return to Politics and Resignation
Edmund Barton: The Father of the Australian Federation
Early Life and EducationEdmund Barton was born on January 18, 1849, in Glebe, New South Wales. His father, William Barton, was a stockbroker, and his mother was Mary Louise. Barton attended Fort Street School and Sydney Grammar School, where he excelled academically and served as school captain. During his time at Sydney Grammar, he formed a lifelong friendship with Richard O'Connor, who later became a judge of the High Court of Australia. Barton subsequently attended the University of Sydney, where he graduated with honors.
Legal and Political Career
In 1871, Barton was admitted to the bar. In 1877, he married Jane Mason Ross, whom he had met during a cricket tour of Newcastle in 1870. Barton first stood for election to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly in 1876, representing the University of Sydney, but narrowly lost. In 1877, he stood for election again, but without success. It was not until 1879 that Barton was elected to the legislature, initially representing Wellington and later East Sydney. In 1882, he was elected Speaker of the Assembly, and in 1884, he became President of the University of Sydney Union.
Role in the Australian Federation
Barton was a staunch advocate for the creation of an Australian federation, an idea that gained significant traction in Australian political circles following Henry Parkes's famous Tenterfield Oration. In March 1891, he became a delegate to the National Australasian Convention, where he spoke out forcefully for "free trade and intercourse...absolutely throughout the Federation." Barton also argued for a bicameral legislature and the abolition of appeals to the British Privy Council. He played a key role in drafting the draft constitution that became the basis for the Australian Constitution of 1900. However, due to the lack of support within the Protectionist Party for federation, Barton resigned from the New South Wales Legislative Council in June 1891 and ran for election in East Sydney, declaring that "so long as the Protectionist Party remains the Party of the enemies of Federation, they will not receive one vote from him."
Premier of New South Wales
Although Barton won the election, he was unable to become a minister in the government, despite generally supporting Parkes on most issues. After the Labor Party lost support in the parliament and the government was forced to resign in October 1891, Parkes persuaded Barton to lead the movement for Australian federation in New South Wales. With the formation of a Protectionist government, Barton agreed to become Attorney-General of the colony under the condition that he could continue his private practice as a lawyer. He also secured the premier's support for the introduction of federal resolutions in the forthcoming parliamentary session. However, after becoming acting premier, the resolutions were delayed as Barton was forced to focus on electoral reform and addressing the Broken Hill miners' strike of 1892. The federal resolutions were not introduced until November 22, 1892, but Barton was unable to secure their passage through the committee stage. In the meantime, he embarked on a campaign tour in support of federation, holding meetings in Cowra and Albury in December 1892.
Federal Resolutions and Resignation
In October 1893, after the federal resolutions were referred to committee, Barton struggled to bring them forward for debate in the House. In December of that year, he and Attorney General Richard O'Connor were asked to act as private lawyers in the case of "Proudfoot v. the Railway Commissioners." Although Barton declined to act in the case, his request for a ruling allowing ministers to act professionally in cases against the government was denied, and he promptly resigned as Attorney General. In July 1894, he contested the Randwick by-election but was defeated. Barton did not stand for election in 1895, but he continued to campaign for federation, holding nearly 300 meetings throughout New South Wales between January 1893 and February 1897, including in Sydney, where he famously declared, "For the first time in history, we have a nation for a continent, and a continent for a nation." By March 1897, Barton was recognized as the leader of the federation movement throughout Australia.
Constitutional Convention
In 1897, Edmund Barton led the New South Wales delegation to the Constitutional Convention, which was tasked with drafting a constitution for a federal Australia. Although the main author of the draft was Samuel Griffith, Barton served as the political leader who guided it through the Convention. In May 1897, Barton was reappointed to the New South Wales Legislative Council, where he took charge of the Federation Bill's passage through the colony's upper house. This allowed the Attorney-General in George Reid's government, John Henry Want, to openly oppose the bill. In September 1897, the Convention reconvened in Sydney to consider 286 amendments to the draft constitution proposed by the Australian colonies. The draft was finalized in March 1898, after which Barton returned to New South Wales to lead the campaign for its support in the June referendum. Although it was endorsed by a substantial majority, the bill failed to reach the 80,000 affirmative votes required.
Return to Politics and Resignation
In July 1898, Barton resigned from the upper house to contest the New South Wales Legislative Assembly by-election, but was defeated by Reid. However, in September, he won the Hastings and Macleay by-election and was immediately elected Leader of the Opposition, which consisted of a group of Protectionists with both pro- and anti-federationist views. In January 1899, Reid secured significant concessions from several Australian states and campaigned for a second referendum in June 1899. On June 29, 1899, the Constitution Bill was endorsed by 170,420 votes, well over the required 82,741. In August 1899, when it became
