Edmund Barton

Sir Edmund Barton
Barton in 1902
1st Prime Minister of Australia
In office
1 January 1901 – 24 September 1903
MonarchsVictoria
Edward VII
Governors‑GeneralLord Hopetoun
Lord Tennyson
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byAlfred Deakin
Justice of the High Court of Australia
In office
5 October 1903 – 7 January 1920
Nominated byAlfred Deakin
Appointed byLord Tennyson
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byHayden Starke
2nd Leader of the Protectionist Party
In office
1889 – 24 September 1903
DeputyAlfred Deakin
Preceded byGeorge Dibbs
Succeeded byAlfred Deakin
Other political offices
Minister for External Affairs
In office
1 January 1901 – 24 September 1903
Prime MinisterHimself
Succeeded byAlfred Deakin
Leader of the Opposition in New South Wales
In office
5 October 1898 – 23 August 1899
PremierGeorge Reid
Preceded byWilliam Lyne
Succeeded byWilliam Lyne
Attorney General of New South Wales
In office
23 October 1891 – 14 December 1893
PremierGeorge Dibbs
Preceded byGeorge Bowen Simpson
Succeeded byCharles Heydon
In office
17 January 1889 – 7 March 1889
PremierGeorge Dibbs
Preceded byGeorge Bowen Simpson
Succeeded byGeorge Bowen Simpson
Speaker of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
In office
3 January 1883 – 31 January 1887
Preceded bySir George Wigram Allen
Succeeded byJames Henry Young
Constituencies
Member of the Parliament of Australia for the Division of Hunter
In office
30 March 1901 – 30 September 1903
Preceded byConstituency established
Succeeded byFrank Liddell
Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
In office
23 November 1898 – 1 March 1900
Preceded byFrancis Clarke
Succeeded byFrancis Clarke
ConstituencyHastings and Macleay
In office
11 July 1891 – 3 August 1894
Preceded byWalter Bradley
Succeeded byConstituency abolished
ConstituencyEast Sydney
In office
28 December 1882 – 2 March 1887
Preceded byArthur Renwick
Succeeded byWilliam McMillan
ConstituencyEast Sydney
In office
14 December 1880 – 28 December 1882
Preceded byJohn Shepherd
Succeeded byDavid Ferguson
ConstituencyWellington
In office
26 August 1879 – 14 December 1880
Preceded byWilliam Windeyer
Succeeded byConstituency abolished
ConstituencyUniversity of Sydney
Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council
In office
12 May 1897 – 18 July 1898
In office
8 March 1887 – 12 June 1891
Personal details
Born(1849-01-18)18 January 1849

(now New South Wales, Australia)
Died7 January 1920(1920-01-07) (aged 70)
Hydro Majestic Hotel,
Medlow Bath, New South Wales, Australia
Resting placeWaverley Cemetery
Political partyProtectionist (after 1887)
Spouse
(m. 1877)
Children6
Education
Alma materUniversity of Sydney
ProfessionBarrister
Politician
Signature

Sir Edmund "Toby" Barton GCMG KC (18 January 1849 – 7 January 1920) was an Australian statesman, barrister and jurist who served as the first prime minister of Australia from 1901 to 1903. He held office as the leader of the Protectionist Party, before resigning in 1903 to become a founding member of the High Court of Australia, on which he served until his death. Barton was highly regarded as one of the founding fathers and leaders of the Federation movement, and for his work in drafting and later interpreting the Constitution of Australia and early commonwealth laws.

Barton was an early supporter of the federation of the Australian colonies, the goal of which he summarised as "a nation for a continent, and a continent for a nation". After the retirement of Henry Parkes he came to be seen as the leader of the federation movement in New South Wales. He was a delegate to the constitutional conventions, playing a key role in the drafting of a national constitution, and was one of the lead campaigners for federation in the subsequent referendums. In late 1900, despite the initial "Hopetoun Blunder", Barton was commissioned to form a caretaker government as Australia's first prime minister. His term began on 1 January 1901, the date on which federation occurred.

At the first federal election in March 1901, Barton and the Protectionists won the most seats, but were well short of a majority. He was able to remain as prime minister by forming an alliance with the fledgling Australian Labor Party (ALP), which held the balance of power. The Barton government established a number of new national institutions, including the Australian Defence Force and the Commonwealth Public Service. It introduced nation-wide women's suffrage, and laid the foundations of the White Australia policy with the Immigration Restriction Act 1901.

Barton left politics in 1903 to become one of the three founding members of the High Court, which his government had created. He was succeeded as prime minister by Alfred Deakin. On the court, Barton was able to shape the judicial interpretation of the constitution he had helped write.