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the early life of edmund barton
He was born in Glebe, New South Wales, the ninth child of English parents William Barton, a stockbroker, and Mary Louise Barton.[1] He was educated at Fort Street High School and Sydney Grammar School, where he was twice dux and School Captain and met his life-long friend and later fellow Justice of the High Court of Australia, Richard O'Connor. He graduated with first class honours and the University Medal in classics from the University of Sydney, where he also demonstrated considerable skill -
about edmund barton
Sir Edmund Barton, GCMG, KC (18 January 1849 – 7 January 1920), Australian politician and judge, served as the first Prime Minister of Australia and became a founding justice of the High Court of Australia.
Barton first became an MP in 1879, in the Parliament of New South Wales. He contributed solidly to the federation movement through the 1890s, eventually contesting the inaugural 1901 federal election as head of a caretaker Protectionist Party federal government. No party won a majority; howev -
Parkes and his 'Tenterfield Address': 1889
Realising the inadequacies of the Federal Council, Sir Henry Parkes made a second attempt at Federation. At the Tenterfield School of Arts on 24 October 1889, he gave a famous speech which called for the need of a national government. In his speech, Parkes highlighted the recent report by Major-General Sir J. Bevan Edwards which defined the need for the colonial forces to unite as one for the sake of the country's defence. Parkes also called for a Parliamentary Convention of Australia to be held -
1891 National Australasian Convention
Edmund Barton was an early supporter of federation, which became a serious political agenda after Henry Parkes' Tenterfield Oration, and was a delegate to the March 1891 National Australasian Convention. At the convention he made clear his support for the principle that "trade and intercourse ... shall be absolutely free" in a federal Australia. He also advocated that not just the lower house but also the upper house should be representative and that appeals to the Privy Council should be abolis -
Constitutional Conventions: 1891 & 1897- 1898
With Parkes as its president, the National Australian Convention was convened at Parliament House in Sydney between March and April 1891. Delegates from each colony, and also from New Zealand, decided on the name the Commonwealth of Australia. The same man who drafted the Federal Council Bill, Samuel Griffiths, is also credited with writing the draft constitution. This claim, however, has been disputed throughout history. A number of people believe that he simply re-wrote what Tasmanian politici -
Referenda: 1898 & 1899
As the ANA had proposed in Corowa, the people of the colonies then had to vote in a referendum on the Constitution. The 1898 referendum was held in Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and Tasmania. The result was a majority in all four colonies. The New South Wales parliament, however, had previously stipulated that it would not accept a majority in its colony unless there were in excess of 80 000 votes in favour of Federation. Despite an overwhelming majority in every other colony, New S -
British approval: 1900
As the colonies were still being ruled by Britain, for Federation to be established, legislation needed to be passed by the British Parliament. Sir Edmund Barton, Alfred Deakin (Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly) and Charles Cameron Kingston (Premier of South Australia) were just a few of the important delegates who travelled to London to ensure that the British Parliament passed the Constitution Bill. The Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 (UK) was passed on 5 July and -
Intro
For several decades leading up to 1883, the general public and the colonial governments had been discussing ideas which included forming an inter-colonial authority or even federating the six separate colonies. Matters of defence, immigration, trade, transport and national pride were growing in importance on colonial agendas and influencing them to form a united front. After several attempts lasting many years, in 1901 Federation was finally established in Australia. -
DEATH AND FAIMLY
Sir Edmund Barton died from heart failure at the Hydro Majestic Hotel, Medlow Bath, New South Wales. He was interred in South Head General Cemetery in the Sydney suburb of Vaucluse (see Waverley Cemetery). He was survived by his wife and six children:[3]
Edmund Alfred (29 May 1879 – 13 November 1949), a New South Wales judge
Wilfrid Alexander (1880–1953), first NSW Rhodes Scholar (1904)
Jean Alice (1882–1957), married Sir David Maughan (1873–1955) in 1909
Arnold Hubert (3 January 1884-1948), mar -
FEDERATION IN THE BEGINNING
The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia formed one nation. They kept the systems of government that they had developed as separate colonies but also would have a federal government that was responsible for matters concerning the whole nation. When the Constitution of Australia came into force, on 1 January 1901, the colonies collectively became s -
the commonwealth of austraila
On 1 January 1901, what had been legally disparate colonies the previous day were now States of Australia. Celebrations were to be found all across the new nation. This was especially the case in Sydney's Centennial Park where the Commonwealth of Australia was inaugurated by the Governor-General before the Barton Commonwealth Cabinet. See image 3 The first Federal election was held on 9 March, with Barton remaining as Prime Minister. On 13 May 1901, the Australian Federal Parliament was officia -
The federal council of 1885
The British Parliament passed the Federal Council of Australasia Act 1885 (UK) on 14 August and after the colonies passed adopting acts, the Federal Council was formed. New South Wales, New Zealand and South Australia (except for 1888-1890), however, all refrained from joining the Council. It was said that the absence of New South Wales, that was the most powerful colony at the time, had a severe and fatal impact on the Council which later disintegrated in 1889. Despite also being flawed by havi