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James Martin (Australian politician)
Encyclopedia
Sir James Martin, KCB, QC (14 May 1820 – 4 November 1886) was three times Premier of New South Wales
, and Chief Justice
of the Supreme Court of New South Wales
from 1873 to 1886.
, County Cork
, Ireland
but emigrated with his parents to Sydney
, Australia
at the age of one. He was educated at Dame's School, Parramatta
and, despite his family's poverty, the Sydney Academy and Sydney College under the tutelage of William Timothy Cape
, and left school at the age of 16 to become a reporter.
In 1838, Martin published the Australian Sketch Book, a series of character sketches he dedicated to Sydney barrister G. R. Nichols, for whom he was then working as an articled clerk in 1840.
Martin qualified as a solicitor in 1845, and combined his legal career with employment as a newspaper editor and publisher. He married Isabella Long on 20 January 1853 and together they produced 15 children.
, but withdrew before polling day. Later in the same year he was unopposed in a by-election for the electorate of Cook and Westmoreland.
Martin was an effective legislator but his sharp tongue and intemperate speeches to the House made him few friends among his parliamentary colleagues. His most notable political achievement in his first eight years in office was to initiate the Parliamentary debate that led to the establishment of a branch of the royal mint in Sydney.
In 1856 he was elected to the first parliament under responsible government as the member for Cook and Westmoreland
. He subsequently represented East Sydney
, Orange
, Tumut
, Monaro
, Lachlan
and East Macquarie
. In August 1856 he was made Attorney-General of New South Wales in the first ministry of Charles Cowper
. The appointment was controversial, as Martin was the first holder of the post not to be a qualified barrister. The appointment was brief, as the government was defeated in a no-confidence motion in October 1856 and Martin returned to the backbench.
Martin qualified as a barrister in 1856 and was made a Queen's Counsel
in 1857. He returned as Attorney General in the second Cowper Ministry in that year. However, his reputation for intemperate language continued and after a series of conflicts with fellow Ministers he resigned his post in November 1858.
Cowper was once again defeated in a no-confidence motion in December 1865, and in January 1866 Martin became Premier for the second time as leader of a coalition government with former rival Henry Parkes
. His government resigned in October 1868, but he returned to the Premiership for a third and final time between December 1870 and May 1872.
James Martin died at home in Potts Point, Sydney on 4 November 1886 and buried in St Judes churchyard in Randwick, NSW. in 1909 his remains were moved to a new underground vault in the impressive Waverley Cemetery
.
in 1857 and a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in 1869.
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, and Chief Justice
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...
of the Supreme Court of New South Wales
Supreme Court of New South Wales
The Supreme Court of New South Wales is the highest state court of the Australian State of New South Wales...
from 1873 to 1886.
Early career
Martin was born in MidletonMidleton
Midleton, historically Middleton , is a town in south-eastern County Cork, Ireland. It lies some 22 km east of Cork City on the Owenacurra River and the N25 road, which connects Cork to the port of Rosslare...
, County Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
but emigrated with his parents to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
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...
at the age of one. He was educated at Dame's School, Parramatta
Parramatta, New South Wales
Parramatta is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located in Greater Western Sydney west of the Sydney central business district on the banks of the Parramatta River. Parramatta is the administrative seat of the Local Government Area of the City of Parramatta...
and, despite his family's poverty, the Sydney Academy and Sydney College under the tutelage of William Timothy Cape
William Timothy Cape
William Timothy Cape was an early school master in Sydney, Australia; several of the Premiers of New South Wales attended his school....
, and left school at the age of 16 to become a reporter.
In 1838, Martin published the Australian Sketch Book, a series of character sketches he dedicated to Sydney barrister G. R. Nichols, for whom he was then working as an articled clerk in 1840.
Martin qualified as a solicitor in 1845, and combined his legal career with employment as a newspaper editor and publisher. He married Isabella Long on 20 January 1853 and together they produced 15 children.
Early political career
In 1848 Martin stood for the electorate of Durham in the New South Wales Legislative CouncilNew South Wales Legislative Council
The New South Wales Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of New South Wales in Australia. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney. The Assembly is referred to as the lower house and the Council as...
, but withdrew before polling day. Later in the same year he was unopposed in a by-election for the electorate of Cook and Westmoreland.
Martin was an effective legislator but his sharp tongue and intemperate speeches to the House made him few friends among his parliamentary colleagues. His most notable political achievement in his first eight years in office was to initiate the Parliamentary debate that led to the establishment of a branch of the royal mint in Sydney.
In 1856 he was elected to the first parliament under responsible government as the member for Cook and Westmoreland
Electoral district of Cook and Westmoreland
Cook and Westmoreland was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales in the first and second Parliaments , named after Cook and Westmoreland counties in the Blue Mountains, Lithgow and Oberon areas. It was largely replaced by Hartley...
. He subsequently represented East Sydney
Electoral district of East Sydney
East Sydney was an electoral district for the Legislative Assembly in the Australian State of New South Wales created in 1859 from part of the electoral district of Sydney, covering the eastern part of the current Sydney central business district, Woolloomooloo, Potts Point, Elizabeth Bay and...
, Orange
Electoral district of Orange
Orange is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Andrew Gee of the National Party of Australia....
, Tumut
Electoral district of Tumut
Tumut was a former electoral district for the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales from 1859 to 1904 in the Tumut area. It was replaced by Wynyard.-Members for Tumut:...
, Monaro
Electoral district of Monaro
Monaro is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by John Barilaro of the National Party of Australia....
, Lachlan
Electoral district of Lachlan
Lachlan was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. During the first two Parliaments , there was an electorate in the same area called Lachlan and Lower Darling, named after the Lachlan and Darling Rivers. Lachlan was created in 1859 and...
and East Macquarie
Electoral district of East Macquarie
East Macquarie was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales between 1859 and 1894, in the Bathurst region. It was represented by two members, with voters casting two votes and the first two candidates being elected.-Members for East Macquarie:...
. In August 1856 he was made Attorney-General of New South Wales in the first ministry of Charles Cowper
Charles Cowper
Sir Charles Cowper, KCMG was an Australian politician and the Premier of New South Wales on five different occasions from 1856 to 1870....
. The appointment was controversial, as Martin was the first holder of the post not to be a qualified barrister. The appointment was brief, as the government was defeated in a no-confidence motion in October 1856 and Martin returned to the backbench.
Martin qualified as a barrister in 1856 and was made a Queen's Counsel
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 1857. He returned as Attorney General in the second Cowper Ministry in that year. However, his reputation for intemperate language continued and after a series of conflicts with fellow Ministers he resigned his post in November 1858.
Premier of New South Wales
In October 1863, Martin was asked by the Governor of New South Wales to form a government with a mandate to address rising State deficits and rural unemployment. Premier Martin promptly introduced measures to reduce immigration and increase tariffs, but was unable to secure Parliamentary support for many of his reforms. With limited achievements to its credit, the government suffered a substantial swing at the 1865 election and Martin stepped down to make way for the return of Charles Cowper.Cowper was once again defeated in a no-confidence motion in December 1865, and in January 1866 Martin became Premier for the second time as leader of a coalition government with former rival Henry Parkes
Henry Parkes
Sir Henry Parkes, GCMG was an Australian statesman, the "Father of Federation." As the earliest advocate of a Federal Council of the colonies of Australia, a precursor to the Federation of Australia, he was the most prominent of the Australian Founding Fathers.Parkes was described during his...
. His government resigned in October 1868, but he returned to the Premiership for a third and final time between December 1870 and May 1872.
After politics
Martin retired from Parliament in November 1873 and was immediately named to the vacant position of Chief Justice of the New South Wales Supreme Court. He held the post for 13 years, despite considerable ill health in later life.James Martin died at home in Potts Point, Sydney on 4 November 1886 and buried in St Judes churchyard in Randwick, NSW. in 1909 his remains were moved to a new underground vault in the impressive Waverley Cemetery
Waverley Cemetery
The Waverley Cemetery opened in 1877 and is a cemetery located on top of the cliffs at Bronte in the eastern suburbs of Sydney. It is noted for its largely intact Victorian and Edwardian monuments. The cemetery contains the graves of many significant Australians including the poet Henry Lawson and...
.
Honours
He was made a Queen's CounselQueen'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 1857 and a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in 1869.
See also
- First Martin ministry (1863–1865)Martin ministry (1863–1865)The Martin ministry or First Martin ministry was the eighth ministry of the Colony of New South Wales, and first occasion of being led by the Premier, the Honourable James Martin, QC....
- Second Martin ministry (1866–1868)Martin ministry (1866–1868)The Martin ministry or Second Martin ministry was the tenth ministry of the Colony of New South Wales, and second of three occasions of being led by the Premier, the Honourable James Martin, QC....
- Third Martin ministry (1870–1872)Martin ministry (1870–1872)The Martin ministry or Third Martin ministry was the thirteen ministry of the Colony of New South Wales, and the third and final occasion of being led by the Premier, the Honourable Sir James Martin, KCB, QC....