Sir Edmund Barton was the first
Prime Minister of
Australia, from 1901-03. He was also Minister for External Affairs and a
Justice of the
High Court.
Barton was born in Sydney on 18th January 1849, and became one of the early graduates of the
University of Sydney. He practiced as a
lawyer until 1879, at which time he entered the Legislative Assembly. By 1883 he had become speaker.
During the
economic Depression of the early 1890s, Barton became and advocate of
Federation. He toured
New South Wales pushing the idea of a national government which could solve problems common to all parts of Australia, such as those relating to
defence and
trade.
Barton's legal knowledge made him a key figure in the drafting of the
bill for Federation. The bill was passed and Barton won the first
election, held in 1901. As Prime Minister, Barton laid the foundations for Australian government, and was knighted in 1902.
In September 1903 Barton was appointed a Justice of the High Court and retired as Prime Minister. Much of his ruling was on the constitutional validity of parts of the early federal
legislation. Above all he strove for a balance between
state and
federal power.
Sir Edmund Barton remained on the
bench until his death in 1920.