John Forrest

John Forrest
Treasurer of Australia
In office
17 February 1917 – 26 March 1918
Prime MinisterBilly Hughes
Preceded byAlexander Poynton
Succeeded byWilliam Watt
In office
24 June 1913 – 16 September 1914
Prime MinisterJoseph Cook
Preceded byAndrew Fisher
Succeeded byAndrew Fisher
In office
2 June 1909 – 28 April 1910
Prime MinisterAlfred Deakin
Preceded byAndrew Fisher
Succeeded byAndrew Fisher
In office
4 July 1905 – 29 July 1907
Prime MinisterAlfred Deakin
Preceded byGeorge Turner
Succeeded byWilliam Lyne
Minister for Home Affairs
In office
11 August 1903 – 27 April 1904
Prime MinisterEdmund Barton
Alfred Deakin
Preceded byWilliam Lyne
Succeeded byLee Batchelor
Minister for Defence
In office
17 January 1901 – 11 August 1903
Prime MinisterEdmund Barton
Preceded byJames Dickson
Succeeded byJames Drake
Postmaster-General of Australia
In office
1 January – 17 January 1901
Prime MinisterEdmund Barton
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byJames Drake
Premier of Western Australia
In office
22 December 1890 – 15 February 1901
MonarchsQueen Victoria
Edward VII
GovernorWilliam Robinson
Gerard Smith
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byGeorge Throssell
Personal details
Born(1847-08-22)22 August 1847
Bunbury, Colony of Western Australia
Died2 September 1918(1918-09-02) (aged 71)
Atlantic Ocean[a][1]
Resting placeKarrakatta Cemetery
Political party
Spouse
(m. 1876)
Signature

Sir John Forrest GCMG (22 August 1847 – 2 September[1] 1918) was an Australian explorer and politician. He was the first premier of Western Australia (1890–1901) and a long-serving cabinet minister in federal politics.

Forrest was born in Bunbury, Western Australia, to Scottish immigrant parents. He was the colony's first locally born surveyor, coming to public notice in 1869 when he led an expedition into the interior in search of Ludwig Leichhardt. The following year, Forrest accomplished the first land crossing from Perth to Adelaide across the Nullarbor Plain. His third expedition in 1874 travelled from Geraldton to Adelaide through the centre of Australia. Forrest's expeditions were characterised by a cautious, well-planned approach and diligent record-keeping. He received the Patron's Medal of the Royal Geographical Society in 1876.

Forrest became involved in politics through his promotion to surveyor-general, a powerful position that entitled him to a seat on the colony's executive council. He was appointed as Western Australia's first premier in 1890, following the granting of responsible government. The gold rushes of the early 1890s saw a large increase in the colony's population and allowed for a program of public works, including the construction of Fremantle Harbour and the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme. Forrest's government also passed a number of social reforms, maintaining power through several elections in an era before formal political parties. His support for Federation was crucial in Western Australia's decision to join as an original member.

In 1901, Forrest was invited to join Prime Minister Edmund Barton's inaugural federal cabinet. He was a member of all but one non-Labor government over the following two decades, serving as Postmaster-General (1901), Minister for Defence (1901–1903), Minister for Home Affairs (1903–1904), and Treasurer (1905–1907, 1909–1910, 1913–1914, 1917–1918). He helped shape Australia's early defence and financial policies, also lobbying for the construction of the Trans-Australian Railway, a pet project. Forrest served briefly as acting prime minister in 1907 and in 1913 was defeated for the leadership of the Liberal Party by a single vote. He was nominated to the peerage in 1918 by Prime Minister Billy Hughes, but died on his way to England before the appointment could be confirmed.


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  1. ^ a b Some sources give the date as 3 September 1918