Edmund Barton

Sir Edmund Barton (18 January 1849 – 7 January 1920) was the first Prime Minister of Australia. He was born in the suburb of Glebe in 1849 and died from heart failure in the Blue Mountains in 1920.

Rt Hon Sir Edmund Barton
1st Prime Minister of Australia
In office 1 January 1901 – 24 September 1903
Preceded by	None
Succeeded by	Alfred Deakin
Constituency	Hunter (New South Wales)
Personal details
Born	(1849-01-18)18 January 1849 Glebe, Sydney, New South Wales
Died	7 January 1920(1920-01-07) (aged 70) Medlow Bath, New South Wales
Political party	Protectionist

He was elected to the first Australian parliament in 1901 as the member for Hunter. He had a big part in making Australia a nation. His government passed laws stopping non-white people from coming to Australia and allowing women to vote in elections. After he was Prime Minister he became a judge of the High Court.

Political career

Barton was chosen as the Speaker of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly in 1883. He served as the speaker until 1887. In 1891, he was a member of the committee writing the Constitution of Australia. In 1900, he led a group of Australians to London to present the country's first Constitution to the British Parliament. Barton was elected as Australia's first Prime Minister on 1 January 1901, when the new constitution went into effect. He also served as the Minister External Affairs (foreign policy and international relations). He resigned on 24 September 1903, and became a senior judge in the new High Court of Australia, and held that position until his death in 1920.

Edmund Barton Media

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  The first Prime Minister of Australia, Sir Edmund Barton, aged approximately 17.

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  Barton as Speaker of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly

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  Edmund Barton, Q.C., M.L.C., ca. 1889, gelatin silver print, State Library of New South Wales P1/126

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  Photo in 1898 of the future 1st Prime Minister of Australia Edmund Barton aged 49 and 2nd Prime Minister of Australia Alfred Deakin

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  Members of the first Barton ministry, 1 January 1901

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  Caricature in Vanity Fair, October 1902

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  Barton in judicial regalia

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  Barton later in life (Sarony Studios)