The difference between the denominational system and the public school system is all the difference between bolstering them up on the one hand and letting them alone of the other.
― Edmund Barton
Sir Edmund “Toby” Barton (18 January 1849 – 7 January 1920) was an Australian politician who served as the first ever Prime Minister of Australia from 1901 to 1903. He resigned to become a founding justice of the High Court of Australia, on which he served until his death in 1920. He is said to be the founding father of Australia.
History[]
Edmund Barton was born on 18 January 1849 in Glebe, Sydney, New South Wales. He was educated at Sydney Grammar School and the University of Sydney, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1868 and a Master of Arts in 1870.
After he graduated University, Barton studied law and was admitted to the New South Wales Bar in 1871. He began his political career in 1879, when he was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly. Over the next two decades, he held various political positions, including Speaker of the Legislative Assembly (1883–1887) and Attorney-General (1889, 1891–1893).
Edmund Barton married Jane Ross in 1877. They ended up having six children together: Edmund Alfred, Wilfrid Alexander, Jean Alice, Arnold Hubert, Oswald, and Leila Stephanie.
Role in Federation[]
Barton’s most significant contribution to Australian history was his leadership in the movement for Federation — the unification of the six separate British colonies into one nation. A passionate advocate for Federation, he worked tirelessly to promote the idea and to help draft the Australian Constitution.
He was a delegate at the Constitutional Conventions of the 1890s and played a key role in shaping the final form of the Constitution. Barton famously adopted the slogan “For the cause that lacks assistance, for the wrong that needs resistance, for the future in the distance, and the good that I can do.”
When the Commonwealth of Australia was proclaimed on 1 January 1901, Barton was appointed the nation’s first Prime Minister. His government laid the foundations for the new federation.
Key achievements of his government included:
- Establishing the High Court of Australia (1903)
- Implementing the White Australia Policy, which reflected the racial attitudes of the time
- Passing important legislation to set up the structures of the new Commonwealth government
Later Life and Death[]
In 1903, Barton retired from politics and was appointed one of the first justices of the High Court of Australia, serving until his death. He remained respected for his intellect, fairness, and contribution to nation-building.
Edmund Barton died on 7 January 1920 in Medlow Bath, New South Wales, from congestive heart failure and was buried in South Head Cemetery, Sydney.
Legacy[]
Barton is remembered as a founding father of Australia, a man whose dedication to good governance helped bring the Commonwealth into being. His portrait has appeared on the Australian $5 note (in earlier series), and numerous places are named in his honour, including Barton, a suburb of Canberra.
Trivia[]
- Barton wasn’t elected by the people to become Prime Minister — he was appointed by the Governor-General, Lord Hopetoun, in 1901, before the first federal election was held.
- Barton was so dedicated and exhausted during the Federation debates that he was once caught sleeping during a convention session, but he still out-argued everyone when he woke up.