Edmund Barton GCMG PC QC
- First Prime Minister - founding Justice High Court - Federation - 1890 -
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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 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.
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; Barton successfully stood for the Legislative Assembly
of New South Wales for the University of Sydney constituency later in the year.
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. 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.
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 largest 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.
Judicial career
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. While in London he was created a Knight Grand Cross of St
Michael and St George. 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. The previous year, he had been
knighted.
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. Barton died
on 7 January 1920 at the Hydro Majestic Hotel, Medlow Bath, New South Wales. He
had four sons and two daughters and his numerous descendants are still prominent
in Sydney.
Legacy
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".
"Edmund Barton: representing NSW in the Australian delegation and soon to be
the first Prime Minister of Australia - described by Chamberlain as "a very able
man, of urbane habit but by no means of a yielding mind."
Garvin p.559
In 1907, journalist Alfred Buchanan described him in his book, The Real
Australia: "He not only spoke well, but he looked well. He won votes in country
districts before he had uttered a syllable. Some of his critics said that he
travelled the country on his hair ... For the Goddess, in emptying her horn into
the lap of the future Prime Minister, gave him something more than an idealistic
head of hair, useful asset though that has been. It gave him a large
skull-index, a massive forehead, an impressive set of features that look their
best when on a platform surmounting a vast concourse of people. It gave him a
certain faculty for looking like a great man."
Buchanan, The Real Australia, pp 252-253.