Russell Barton

Russell Barton, MLA for Bourke

Russell Barton (1830 – 30 June 1916) was a British-born Australian politician.

He was born at Penge to grazier Edmund Russell Barton and Sophia Russell.[1] The family migrated to Adelaide in 1839, where Barton worked on cattle and sheep stations before becoming a carrier for a copper mine at Burra Burra. He went to the Victorian goldfields in the early 1850s and on his return bought land around Adelaide. In 1855 he married Jane McCulloch Davey, with whom he had eleven children. His property was destroyed by fire in 1855, and he managed a number of sheep stations, including one on the Bogan River in New South Wales. He focused on his New South Wales properties from the 1860s and also speculated in mining.[2]

He was one of the early owners of the Great Cobar mine, and also was involved in other mines at Nymagee and Broken Hill. He was a director of Mercantile Mutual Insurance Co. Ltd, Mutual Life Insurance Co., the British and Foreign Marine Insurance Co. Ltd, and was managing director of the Pastoral Finance Association Ltd.[3]

He was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for Bourke at the 1880 election,[4] holding the seat at the 1882,[5] and 1885 elections.[6] He resigned his seat in December 1886,[7] and a by-election was held, however parliament was dissolved before the writ was returned.[8]

He died at Five Dock on 30 June 1916(1916-06-30) (aged 85–86).[2][7]

  1. ^ Digby, Everard, ed. (1889). Australian men of mark (PDF). Vol. 1. Sydney: Charles F Maxwell. pp. 225–227. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  2. ^ a b Nairn, Bede (1969). "Barton, Russell (1830–1916)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 3. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  3. ^ "LATE MR. RUSSELL BARTON". Sydney Morning Herald. 3 July 1916. p. 11. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  4. ^ Green, Antony. "1880 Bourke". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  5. ^ Green, Antony. "1882 Bourke". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  6. ^ Green, Antony. "1885 Bourke". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  7. ^ a b "Mr Russell Barton (1830-1916)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  8. ^ Green, Antony. "1887 Bourke". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 17 August 2020.