Charles Kingston
Encyclopedia
Charles Cameron Kingston, (22 October 1850 - 11 May 1908) Australia
n politician
, was an early liberal
Premier of South Australia serving from 1893 to 1899 with the support of Labor
led by John McPherson
from 1893 and Lee Batchelor
from 1897 in the House of Assembly
, winning the 1893
, 1896
, and 1899 state elections
against the conservatives. He was a leading proponent of and contributed extensively on the Federation of Australia
, and was elected to the federal House of Representatives
with the most votes amongst the seven elected in the single South Australian division
at the 1901 federal election, serving under the Protectionist Party
. A radical liberal in state politics, his government introduced such progressive measures as: electoral reform
including the first law to give votes to women in Australia (and second in the world only to New Zealand
), a legitimation
Act, the first conciliation
and arbitration
Act in Australia, establishment of a state bank, a high protective tariff
, regulation of factories, and a progressive system of land and income taxation.
, the son of Sir George Kingston
, a Protestant Irish-born surveyor, architect and landowner in the early days of British settlement in South Australia
and later a member of the first South Australian Parliament. His mother, Ludovina Cameron, was of Portuguese descent. George Kingston boasted that he was "the first Irishman to set foot in the colony" and it is true that the Kingstons were among Adelaide's founding families. Charles was educated at the Adelaide Educational Institution and served his articles with Sir Samuel Way
, Adelaide's leading lawyer and later Attorney-General. He was called to the bar in 1873, despite the objection of the elder brother of his future wife, Lucy May McCarthy on the grounds of Kingston's alleged seduction of her. He became a QC
in 1889.
In 1873 Kingston married Lucy McCarthy. Lucy was an invalid for much of her life and they had no children. In a remarkable gesture, however, Lucy took in a child, Kevin Kingston, whom Kingston had fathered with another woman, Elizabeth Watson, in 1883. As a result of this scandal, Kingston was ostracised by Adelaide "society," his contempt for whom he never troubled to conceal. Kevin died in 1902.
Kingston and his older brother Strickland Gough "Pat" Kingston (1848-3 October 1897) formed a business partnership Kingston & Kingston in 1879 which they dissolved in July 1884. S. G. Kingston was a brilliant lawyer, but unstable. He was jailed for the gunshot wounding of a cabdriver in June 1884 and killed himself after losing an important case in Port Augusta
.
as a member for the working-class district of West Adelaide, as a radical liberal. He favoured reform of the Legislative Council
(which was dominated by wealthy landowners) and other radical reforms. He was described by William Maloney
as the originator of the White Australia
, although this policy was supported by virtually all Australian politicians at the time of federation.
Kingston was Attorney-General 1884-85 in the government of John Colton
and again in 1887-89 in the government of Tom Playford
. In 1893 he succeeded Playford as leader of the South Australian liberals and defeated conservative Premier John Downer
to become Premier 1893-99, a record at the time of six and a half years, not to be broken until Thomas Playford IV
, as well as Chief Secretary and Attorney-General, and also Minister for Industry 1895-99. Kingston came to office with the support of a new third party, the South Australian division of the Labor Party
led by John McPherson, which held the balance of power
. A big, imposing man with a full beard, a booming voice and a violent, cutting debating style, Kingston dominated the small world of South Australian colonial politics in the 1890s. He was a great hero to liberals and working class voters, and much hated by conservatives. In 1892, Richard Baker
called him a "coward, a bully and a disgrace to the legal profession" in the Legislative Council and Kingston replied by calling Baker "false as a friend, treacherous as a colleague, mendacious as a man, and utterly untrustworthy in every relationship of public life". Kingston arranged for a duel
but Baker had him arrested and as a result Kingston was bound over to keep the peace for a year.
Kingston had not supported votes for women at the 1893 elections but he was subsequently persuaded by his ministerial colleagues, John Cockburn
and Frederick Holder
of its political advantages and lobbied by the Woman's Christian Temperance Union. In December 1894 his government became the first Australian state to introduce adult suffrage. His government also established the state bank of South Australia, regulated factories, imposed death duties and increased land tax and progressive income taxes.
A leading supporter of Federation, Kingston was a delegate to the Constitutional Conventions
of 1891 and 1897-98 which worked to draft an Australian Constitution. In 1897 he travelled to London
for the Diamond Jubilee
of Queen Victoria
, where he was made a Privy Councillor and awarded an honorary Doctor of Civil Laws
degree by Oxford University. He also turned down the offer of a knighthood, to the distress of his wife. While there he lobbied senior British politicians in favour of Australian federation.
In 1899 Kingston's government was defeated in the House on a bill relating to the reform of the Legislative Council, leading to Kingston's resignation as Premier. By this time, however, he was more interested in federal politics, as the six Australian colonies moved towards federation. He was a leading figure in the popular movement for federation, and in 1900 he travelled to London with Edmund Barton
and Alfred Deakin
to oversee the passage of the federation bill through the Parliament of the United Kingdom
.
When the Constitution came into effect on 1 January 1901, Barton formed the first federal ministry, and Kingston was appointed Minister for Trade and Customs
. In March 1901 he was elected as one of South Australia's seven members of the first Australian House of Representatives
. (South Australia was not divided into electoral divisions in time for the election, and Kingston topped the statewide poll with 65% of the vote.) In 1903 he became the first member for the Division of Adelaide
.
Kingston was a "high protectionist": he favoured very high tariff
s to protect Australia's fledgling manufacturing industries. Most of his time as minister was spent negotiating a customs bill through both houses of the Parliament since no one party had a majority in either House and the forces of the Free Trade Party
resisted his bill at every stage. Negotiating with his opponents was not among Kingston's many talents, and his bullying style made him many enemies. He also insisted on involving himself in the administrative details of his department and inisted on prosecutions of businesses to enforce his high-tariff policies.
In July 1903, Kingston resigned suddenly in a fit of anger due to the opposition of John Forrest
and Edmund Barton
to his attempt to impose conciliation and arbitration on British and foreign seamen engaged in the Australian coastal trade. He never held office again, and although Labor offered him a position in Chris Watson
's ministry, he turned this down, presumably because of ill health. He remained as Member for Adelaide, being allowed to run unopposed at both the 1903 and 1906 elections.
Kingston died in Adelaide of a sudden stroke
in May 1908 and was buried at the local West Terrace Cemetery
, survived by his increasingly eccentric wife. An Adelaide by-election
was held to elect a new MP. The Division of Kingston
is named after him.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, was an early liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
Premier of South Australia serving from 1893 to 1899 with the support of Labor
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
led by John McPherson
John McPherson
John McPherson was a Scottish footballer who played for Kilmarnock and Rangers.-Early career:Born in Kilmarnock, McPherson started his career with his local side Kilmarnock F.C., moved to Cowlairs in 1888, then joined Rangers in 1890...
from 1893 and Lee Batchelor
Lee Batchelor
Egerton Lee Batchelor, known as Lee Batchelor, , Australian politician, was the 2nd leader of the South Australian branch of the Australian Labor Party, a member of the First Australian Parliament, and the first member for the Federal Division of Boothby in South Australia, from 1903 to 1911...
from 1897 in the House of Assembly
South Australian House of Assembly
The House of Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. The other is the Legislative Council. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Adelaide.- Overview :...
, winning the 1893
South Australian state election, 1893
State elections were held in Australia on 15 April 1893. All 54 seats in the South Australian House of Assembly were up for election. The incumbent conservative government led by Premier of South Australia John Downer was defeated by the liberal opposition led by Charles Kingston, with the support...
, 1896
South Australian state election, 1896
State elections were held in Australia on 25 April 1896. All 54 seats in the South Australian House of Assembly were up for election. The incumbent liberal government led by Premier of South Australia Charles Kingston in an informal coalition United Labor Party led by John McPherson defeated the...
, and 1899 state elections
South Australian state election, 1899
State elections were held in Australia on 29 April 1899. All 54 seats in the South Australian House of Assembly were up for election. The incumbent liberal government led by Premier of South Australia Charles Kingston in an informal coalition United Labor Party led by Lee Batchelor defeated the...
against the conservatives. He was a leading proponent of and contributed extensively on the Federation of Australia
Federation of Australia
The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia formed one nation...
, and was elected to the federal House of Representatives
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
with the most votes amongst the seven elected in the single South Australian division
Division of South Australia
The Division of South Australia was an Australian Electoral Division that existed from 1901 until 1903. It covered the entire state of South Australia which, unlike most of the other states, had not been split into individual single-member electorates. The Division elected seven members at the...
at the 1901 federal election, serving under the Protectionist Party
Protectionist Party
The Protectionist Party was an Australian political party, formally organised from 1889 until 1909, with policies centred on protectionism. It argued that Australia needed protective tariffs to allow Australian industry to grow and provide employment. It had its greatest strength in Victoria and in...
. A radical liberal in state politics, his government introduced such progressive measures as: electoral reform
Electoral reform
Electoral reform is change in electoral systems to improve how public desires are expressed in election results. That can include reforms of:...
including the first law to give votes to women in Australia (and second in the world only to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
), a legitimation
Legitimation
Legitimation or legitimization is the act of providing legitimacy. Legitimation in the social sciences refers to the process whereby an act, process, or ideology becomes legitimate by its attachment to norms and values within in given society...
Act, the first conciliation
Conciliation
Conciliation is an alternative dispute resolution process whereby the parties to a dispute agree to utilize the services of a conciliator, who then meets with the parties separately in an attempt to resolve their differences...
and arbitration
Arbitration
Arbitration, a form of alternative dispute resolution , is a legal technique for the resolution of disputes outside the courts, where the parties to a dispute refer it to one or more persons , by whose decision they agree to be bound...
Act in Australia, establishment of a state bank, a high protective tariff
Tariff
A tariff may be either tax on imports or exports , or a list or schedule of prices for such things as rail service, bus routes, and electrical usage ....
, regulation of factories, and a progressive system of land and income taxation.
Early life
Kingston was born in AdelaideAdelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, the son of Sir George Kingston
George Strickland Kingston
Sir George Strickland Kingston arrived in South Australia on the Cygnet in 1836. He was the Deputy Surveyor to William Light, engaged to survey the new colony of South Australia.-Early life:...
, a Protestant Irish-born surveyor, architect and landowner in the early days of British settlement in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
and later a member of the first South Australian Parliament. His mother, Ludovina Cameron, was of Portuguese descent. George Kingston boasted that he was "the first Irishman to set foot in the colony" and it is true that the Kingstons were among Adelaide's founding families. Charles was educated at the Adelaide Educational Institution and served his articles with Sir Samuel Way
Samuel Way
Sir Samuel James Way, 1st Baronet , English-Australian jurist, was a Chief Justice from 18 March 1876 until 8 January 1916 of the Supreme Court of South Australia, which is the highest ranking court in the Australian State of South Australia.Way was born in Portsmouth, England, in 1836...
, Adelaide's leading lawyer and later Attorney-General. He was called to the bar in 1873, despite the objection of the elder brother of his future wife, Lucy May McCarthy on the grounds of Kingston's alleged seduction of her. He became a QC
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
in 1889.
In 1873 Kingston married Lucy McCarthy. Lucy was an invalid for much of her life and they had no children. In a remarkable gesture, however, Lucy took in a child, Kevin Kingston, whom Kingston had fathered with another woman, Elizabeth Watson, in 1883. As a result of this scandal, Kingston was ostracised by Adelaide "society," his contempt for whom he never troubled to conceal. Kevin died in 1902.
Kingston and his older brother Strickland Gough "Pat" Kingston (1848-3 October 1897) formed a business partnership Kingston & Kingston in 1879 which they dissolved in July 1884. S. G. Kingston was a brilliant lawyer, but unstable. He was jailed for the gunshot wounding of a cabdriver in June 1884 and killed himself after losing an important case in Port Augusta
Port Augusta, South Australia
-Electricity generation:Electricity is generated at the Playford B and Northern power stations from brown coal mined at Leigh Creek, 250 km to the north...
.
State politics
In 1881 Kingston was elected to the South Australian House of AssemblySouth Australian House of Assembly
The House of Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. The other is the Legislative Council. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Adelaide.- Overview :...
as a member for the working-class district of West Adelaide, as a radical liberal. He favoured reform of the Legislative Council
South Australian Legislative Council
The Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. Its central purpose is to act as a house of review for legislation passed through the lower house, the House of Assembly...
(which was dominated by wealthy landowners) and other radical reforms. He was described by William Maloney
William Maloney
Dr William Robert Nuttal Maloney was a long serving Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives for 36 years from 1904 to 1940....
as the originator of the White Australia
White Australia policy
The White Australia policy comprises various historical policies that intentionally restricted "non-white" immigration to Australia. From origins at Federation in 1901, the polices were progressively dismantled between 1949-1973....
, although this policy was supported by virtually all Australian politicians at the time of federation.
Kingston was Attorney-General 1884-85 in the government of John Colton
John Colton
Sir John Colton KCMG was an Australian politician, Premier of South Australia and philanthropist.Colton, the son of William Colton, a farmer, was born in Devonshire, England. He arrived in South Australia in 1839 with his parents, who went on the land...
and again in 1887-89 in the government of Tom Playford
Thomas Playford II
Thomas Playford served as Premier of South Australia from 11 June 1887 to 26 June 1889 and 8 August 1890 to 20 June 1892, as well as serving as the Australian Federal Minister for Defence from 1905 to 1907....
. In 1893 he succeeded Playford as leader of the South Australian liberals and defeated conservative Premier John Downer
John Downer
Sir John William Downer, KCMG was the Premier of South Australia from 16 June 1885 until 11 June 1887 and again from 1892 to 1893. He was the first of three Australian politicians from the Downer family dynasty.-Early life:...
to become Premier 1893-99, a record at the time of six and a half years, not to be broken until Thomas Playford IV
Thomas Playford IV
Sir Thomas Playford, GCMG was a South Australian politician. He served continuously as Premier of South Australia from 5 November 1938 to 10 March 1965, the longest term of any elected government leader in the history of Australia. His tenure as premier was marked by a period of population and...
, as well as Chief Secretary and Attorney-General, and also Minister for Industry 1895-99. Kingston came to office with the support of a new third party, the South Australian division of the Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
led by John McPherson, which held the balance of power
Balance of power (parliament)
In parliamentary politics, the term balance of power sometimes describes the pragmatic mechanism exercised by a minor political party or other grouping whose guaranteed support may enable an otherwise minority government to obtain and hold office...
. A big, imposing man with a full beard, a booming voice and a violent, cutting debating style, Kingston dominated the small world of South Australian colonial politics in the 1890s. He was a great hero to liberals and working class voters, and much hated by conservatives. In 1892, Richard Baker
Richard Baker (Australian politician)
Sir Richard Chaffey Baker KCMG was an Australian politician. A barrister by trade, he embarked on a successful career in South Australian colonial politics, serving as state attorney-general and President of the Legislative Council before switching to federal politics after federation...
called him a "coward, a bully and a disgrace to the legal profession" in the Legislative Council and Kingston replied by calling Baker "false as a friend, treacherous as a colleague, mendacious as a man, and utterly untrustworthy in every relationship of public life". Kingston arranged for a duel
Duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two individuals, with matched weapons in accordance with agreed-upon rules.Duels in this form were chiefly practised in Early Modern Europe, with precedents in the medieval code of chivalry, and continued into the modern period especially among...
but Baker had him arrested and as a result Kingston was bound over to keep the peace for a year.
Kingston had not supported votes for women at the 1893 elections but he was subsequently persuaded by his ministerial colleagues, John Cockburn
John Cockburn (Australian politician)
Sir John Alexander Cockburn, KCMG was Premier of South Australia from 27 June 1889 until 18 August 1890.Cockburn was born in Corsbie, Berwickshire, Scotland in 1850. His father was Thomas Cockburn. He was educated at Highgate School, and King's College London, he obtained the degree of M.D....
and Frederick Holder
Frederick Holder
Sir Frederick William Holder KCMG was the 19th Premier of South Australia and a prominent member of the inaugural Australian Commonwealth Parliament, including the first Speaker of the House of Representatives.-Life:...
of its political advantages and lobbied by the Woman's Christian Temperance Union. In December 1894 his government became the first Australian state to introduce adult suffrage. His government also established the state bank of South Australia, regulated factories, imposed death duties and increased land tax and progressive income taxes.
A leading supporter of Federation, Kingston was a delegate to the Constitutional Conventions
Constitutional Convention (Australia)
In Australian history, the term Constitutional Convention refers to four distinct gatherings.-1891 convention:The 1891 Constitutional Convention was held in Sydney in March 1891 to consider a draft Constitution for the proposed federation of the British colonies in Australia and New Zealand. There...
of 1891 and 1897-98 which worked to draft an Australian Constitution. In 1897 he travelled to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
for the Diamond Jubilee
Diamond Jubilee
A Diamond Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 60th anniversary in the case of a person or a 75th anniversary in the case of an event.- Thailand :...
of Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
, where he was made a Privy Councillor and awarded an honorary Doctor of Civil Laws
Civil law (legal system)
Civil law is a legal system inspired by Roman law and whose primary feature is that laws are codified into collections, as compared to common law systems that gives great precedential weight to common law on the principle that it is unfair to treat similar facts differently on different...
degree by Oxford University. He also turned down the offer of a knighthood, to the distress of his wife. While there he lobbied senior British politicians in favour of Australian federation.
In 1899 Kingston's government was defeated in the House on a bill relating to the reform of the Legislative Council, leading to Kingston's resignation as Premier. By this time, however, he was more interested in federal politics, as the six Australian colonies moved towards federation. He was a leading figure in the popular movement for federation, and in 1900 he travelled to London with Edmund Barton
Edmund Barton
Sir Edmund Barton, GCMG, KC , Australian politician and judge, was the first Prime Minister of Australia and a founding justice of the High Court of Australia....
and Alfred Deakin
Alfred Deakin
Alfred Deakin , Australian politician, was a leader of the movement for Australian federation and later the second Prime Minister of Australia. In the last quarter of the 19th century, Deakin was a major contributor to the establishment of liberal reforms in the colony of Victoria, including the...
to oversee the passage of the federation bill through the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
.
Federal politics
Minister for Trade (Australia)
The Australian Minister for Trade has been Dr. Craig Emerson since 14 September 2010.-Portfolio:Currently the Minister for Trade administers the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade jointly with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, although prior to 1987 there was a separate Department of Trade...
. In March 1901 he was elected as one of South Australia's seven members of the first Australian House of Representatives
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
. (South Australia was not divided into electoral divisions in time for the election, and Kingston topped the statewide poll with 65% of the vote.) In 1903 he became the first member for the Division of Adelaide
Division of Adelaide
The Division of Adelaide is an Australian Electoral Division in South Australia. The division was created in 1903 and is named for the city of Adelaide, South Australia's capital. The seat has always been based in the inner suburbs of Adelaide...
.
Kingston was a "high protectionist": he favoured very high tariff
Tariff
A tariff may be either tax on imports or exports , or a list or schedule of prices for such things as rail service, bus routes, and electrical usage ....
s to protect Australia's fledgling manufacturing industries. Most of his time as minister was spent negotiating a customs bill through both houses of the Parliament since no one party had a majority in either House and the forces of the Free Trade Party
Free Trade Party
The Free Trade Party which was officially known as the Australian Free Trade and Liberal Association, also referred to as the Revenue Tariff Party in some states and renamed the Anti-Socialist Party in 1906, was an Australian political party, formally organised between 1889 and 1909...
resisted his bill at every stage. Negotiating with his opponents was not among Kingston's many talents, and his bullying style made him many enemies. He also insisted on involving himself in the administrative details of his department and inisted on prosecutions of businesses to enforce his high-tariff policies.
In July 1903, Kingston resigned suddenly in a fit of anger due to the opposition of John Forrest
John Forrest
Sir John Forrest GCMG was an Australian explorer, the first Premier of Western Australia and a cabinet minister in Australia's first federal parliament....
and Edmund Barton
Edmund Barton
Sir Edmund Barton, GCMG, KC , Australian politician and judge, was the first Prime Minister of Australia and a founding justice of the High Court of Australia....
to his attempt to impose conciliation and arbitration on British and foreign seamen engaged in the Australian coastal trade. He never held office again, and although Labor offered him a position in Chris Watson
Chris Watson
John Christian Watson , commonly known as Chris Watson, Australian politician, was the third Prime Minister of Australia...
's ministry, he turned this down, presumably because of ill health. He remained as Member for Adelaide, being allowed to run unopposed at both the 1903 and 1906 elections.
Kingston died in Adelaide of a sudden stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
in May 1908 and was buried at the local West Terrace Cemetery
West Terrace Cemetery
The West Terrace Cemetery is South Australia’s oldest cemetery, first appearing on Colonel William Light’s 1837 plan of Adelaide. The 27.6 hectare site is located in the south-west corner of the Adelaide central business district, between West Terrace, Anzac Highway, Sir Donald Bradman Drive and...
, survived by his increasingly eccentric wife. An Adelaide by-election
Adelaide by-election, 1908
A by-election was held for the Australian House of Representatives seat of Adelaide on 13 June 1908. This was triggered by the death of former Premier of South Australia and federal Protectionist Party MP Charles Kingston....
was held to elect a new MP. The Division of Kingston
Division of Kingston
The Division of Kingston is an Australian Electoral Division in South Australia covering the far-south metropolitan area of Adelaide. The division was first proclaimed in 1949....
is named after him.