Alfred Deakin was the second, fifth and seventh
Prime Minister of
Australia.
Born in
Melbourne in 1856, Deakin was the son of English
immigrants who had come to Australia during the Gold Rushes. He studied law at the
University of Melbourne, but after his graduation in 1877 decided to pursue
journalism instead. David Syme, a friend that worked for
The Age, encouraged Deakin to stand for
parliament, and Deakin was elected a Victorian representative in 1879.
In 1887 Deakin was a
delegate to the London Colonial Conference. He considered the British
ministers to be patronising and reaffirmed his belief that Australia should speak as its own
nation in
world affairs.
While
Edmund Barton was promoting
Federation around the state of
New South Wales, Deakin was doing the same in
Victoria. When Australia was federated in 1901, Deakin served as
Attorney General to Barton, the first Prime Minister. Barton retired as PM in 1903, and Deakin took over until 27 April 1904.
Deakin gained the support of the Labor party and managed to gain the position of Prime Minister again in 1905. This was his most successful term, and his most
innovative. During this time he introduced the industrial arbitration system and
tariff protection. He introduced social
welfare, including old-age
pensions. The first formal
defence policies were formulated. In late 1908 Labor withdrew its support and Deakin's second term had ended.
Eager to reclaim the position, Deakin joined with his former Free Trade opponents in the Fusion
government. He began his third term as Prime Minister on 2 June 1909, and was defeated by Labor in April 1910.
For three years Deakin served as the
opposition leader to the Labor government, then retired in 1913. He died six years later.