Alfred Deakin

The Honourable Alfred Deakin
Deakin in 1905
2nd Prime Minister of Australia
In office 2 June 1909 – 29 April 1910
Monarch	Edward VII
Governor‑General	Lord Dudley
Preceded by	Andrew Fisher
Succeeded by	Andrew Fisher
In office 5 July 1905 – 13 November 1908
Monarch	Edward VII
Governors‑General	Lord Northcote Lord Dudley
Preceded by	George Reid
Succeeded by	Andrew Fisher
In office 24 September 1903 – 27 April 1904
Monarch	Edward VII
Governors‑General	Lord Tennyson Lord Northcote
Preceded by	Edmund Barton
Succeeded by	Chris Watson
Leader of the Opposition
In office 1 July 1910 – 20 January 1913
Prime Minister	Andrew Fisher
Preceded by	Andrew Fisher
Succeeded by	Joseph Cook
In office 26 May 1909 – 2 June 1909
Prime Minister	Andrew Fisher
Preceded by	Joseph Cook
Succeeded by	Andrew Fisher
Party leadership positions Leader of the Liberal Party In office 26 May 1909 – 20 January 1913 Deputy Joseph Cook Preceded by Position established Succeeded by Joseph Cook Leader of the Protectionist Party In office 24 September 1903 – 26 May 1909 Deputy Sir William Lyne Preceded by Edmund Barton Succeeded by Party dissolved
Cabinet posts Minister for External Affairs In office 5 July 1905 – 13 November 1908 Prime Minister Himself Preceded by George Reid Succeeded by Lee Batchelor In office 24 September 1903 – 27 April 1904 Prime Minister Himself Preceded by Edmund Barton Succeeded by Billy Hughes Attorney-General of Australia In office 1 January 1901 – 24 September 1903 Prime Minister Edmund Barton Preceded by Position established Succeeded by James Drake
Constituencies Member of the Australian Parliament for Ballaarat In office 30 March 1901 – 23 April 1913 Preceded by Seat created Succeeded by Charles McGrath Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly In office April 1889 – October 1900 Preceded by Seat created Succeeded by Edward Warde Constituency Essendon and Flemington In office July 1880 – March 1889 Preceded by Robert Harper Succeeded by Seat abolished In office July 1879 – August 1879 Preceded by John Smith Succeeded by Robert Harper
Personal details
Born	(1856-08-03)3 August 1856 Fitzroy, Colony of Victoria
Died	7 October 1919(1919-10-07) (aged 63) South Yarra, Victoria, Australia
Resting place	St Kilda Cemetery
Political party	Independent (until 1901) Protectionist (1901–1909) Liberal (after 1909)
Spouse	Pattie Browne ​ (m. 1882)​
Children	3, including Ivy and Vera
Relatives	Wilfred Brookes (grandson) Alfred Brookes (grandson) Rohan Deakin Rivett (grandson)
Education	Melbourne Grammar School University of Melbourne (no degree)
Profession	Barrister
Signature

This article is part of a series about Alfred Deakin
Early life Victorian (state) politics Member for Ballarat (1901–1913) 1901 election Attorney-General Prime Minister of Australia First term of government, 1903–1904 Conciliation and Arbitration Bill Second term of government, 1905–1908 Senate elections referendum Third term of government, 1909–1910 Separate Australian Coinage State debts referendum Surplus revenue referendum Ministries First Ministry Second Ministry Second Ministry Elections 1903 1906 1910
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Alfred Deakin (3 August 1856 – 7 October 1919) was an Australian politician who served as the second prime minister of Australia from 1903 to 1904, 1905 to 1908 and 1909 to 1910. He held office as the leader of the Protectionist Party, and in his final term as that of the Liberal Party. He is notable for being one of the founding fathers of Federation and for his influence in early Australian politics.

Deakin was born in Melbourne to middle-class parents. He was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly in 1879, aged 23, additionally working as a barrister and journalist. He held ministerial office sporadically beginning in 1883, serving twice as Attorney-General of Victoria and aligning himself with liberal and radical reformers. In the 1890s Deakin became one of the leading figures in the movement for the federation of the Australian colonies. He was a delegate to the federal conventions and served on the committees that drafted the federal constitution. He later campaigned at a series of referendums and lobbied the British government for its adoption.

After the Federation in 1901, Deakin became the inaugural Attorney-General of Australia in the ministry led by his close friend Edmund Barton. He succeeded Barton as prime minister in September 1903. Two subsequent elections in 1903 and 1906 produced an even split between three parties, with Deakin's Liberal Protectionist Party occupying an effective middle ground between the Free Traders and the Australian Labor Party (ALP). He left office in April 1904 following an unproductive first term but returned in July 1905 and was able to form a functional government with the support of the ALP. He relinquished office again in August 1908.

In 1909, in what became known as the Fusion, Deakin controversially led his supporters into a union with the Free Traders. Their alliance, based on anti-socialism, marked the beginning of a two-party system in federal politics and allowed him to form Australia's first majority government. Deakin regarded his final term as prime minister, from June 1909 to April 1910, as his most productive. However, to his surprise, the ALP won a majority in both houses at the 1910 election. He retired from politics in 1913, in the early stages of a degenerative neurological condition that led to his death at the age of 63.

Deakin is regarded as one of Australia's most influential prime ministers. He was the principal architect of the "Australian settlement", the features of which – the White Australia policy, compulsory arbitration, protectionism, state paternalism, and support for the British Empire – formed the basis of Australia's socio-economic framework well into the 20th century.^[1]