Joseph Palmer Abbott
Encyclopedia
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, KCMG (29 September 1842 – 15 September 1901) was an 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...
n politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
.
Early life
Joseph Palmer Abbott was born on 29 September 1842 at MuswellbrookMuswellbrook, New South Wales
Muswellbrook, a corruption of 'Muscle Brook', is a town and Local Government Area in New South Wales, Australia. The original spelling and etymology of the town's name is a matter of some debate...
, New South Wales
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...
, to John Kingsmill Abbott, a squatter, and his wife Frances Amanda, née Brady. Abbott was educated at the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
school at Muswellbrook, moving to John Armstrong's school at Redfern
Redfern, New South Wales
Redfern is an inner-city suburb of Sydney. Redfern is 3 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney...
at 9 years of age, then to J. R. Huston's Surry Hills
Surry Hills, New South Wales
Surry Hills is an inner-city suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Surry Hills is located immediately south-east of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Sydney...
Academy and finally to The King's School
The King's School, Sydney
The King's School is an independent Anglican, day and boarding school for boys in North Parramatta in the western suburbs of Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831, it is Australia's oldest school and forms one of the nine "Great Public Schools" of New South Wales. Situated within a site, Gowan Brae,...
, 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...
.
Upon completion of his education in 1857, he returned to the family station "Glengarry", near Wingen
Wingen, New South Wales
Wingen is a village in the Upper Hunter area of the Hunter Valley in New South Wales, Australia. Situated on the New England Highway, it lies about 15 minutes from the town of Scone. It is known for the local "Burning Mountain" tourist attraction, a burning underground coal seam...
on the Upper Hunter
Hunter Valley
The Hunter Region, more commonly known as the Hunter Valley, is a region of New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney with an approximate population of 645,395 people. Most of the population of the Hunter Region lives within of the coast, with 55% of the entire...
, where his mother had gone from Muswellbrook in 1847 upon the death of his father.
Work
Abbott was admitted as a solicitor in 1865, and practiced law in Murrurundi, specialising in land cases. He was appointed a commissioner of the Supreme Court of New South WalesSupreme 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...
, for the district of Maitland
Maitland, New South Wales
Maitland is a city in the Lower Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia and the seat of Maitland City Council, situated on the Hunter River approximately by road north of Sydney and north-west of Newcastle...
.
Founding a firm, Abbott & Allan in Sydney, Abbott established himself as an expert in property and land law.
He was a director, and later chairman, of the Australian Mutual Provident Society.
Politics
Abbott was elected to the New South Wales Legislative AssemblyNew South Wales Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...
as the member for Gunnedah
Electoral district of Gunnedah
Gunnedah was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales, created in 1880, partly replacing Liverpool Plains, and named after and including Gunnedah. In 1904 it was abolished and replaced by Liverpool Plains and Namoi.-Members for Gunnedah:...
on 29 November 1880, and later for Wentworth
Electoral district of Wentworth
Wentworth was a former electoral district for the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales established in 1880 and partly replacing Lachlan and named after and including Wentworth. From 1885 until the creation of Sturt in 1889, it elected two members. It was abolished in...
on 26 February 1887 which he served until he retired from parliament on 11 June 1901.
He was briefly the leader of the Opposition
Opposition (politics)
In politics, the opposition comprises one or more political parties or other organized groups that are opposed to the government , party or group in political control of a city, region, state or country...
for 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...
, but resigned soon afterwards, after a disagreement about the party's merge with 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...
.
Abbott was elected Speaker of the Legislative Assembly in 1890 and has a reputation as an authority on parliamentary procedure. He also imposed dignified control over the formerly unruly Assembly. He resigned the Speakership in 1900.
He was known for his work involving property law
Property law
Property law is the area of law that governs the various forms of ownership in real property and in personal property, within the common law legal system. In the civil law system, there is a division between movable and immovable property...
s of Australia, and as a New South Wales
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...
delegate for the Federation Conventions of 1891, 1897, and 1898 where he was Chairman of Committees. He created the 1881 Hospital Acts Amendment Act, which lead to him becoming an honorary governor of several medical facilities. In January 1883, Abbott became the secretary of mines for Premier
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in some countries and states.-Examples by country:In many nations, "premier" is used interchangeably with "prime minister"...
Sir Alexander Stuart
Alexander Stuart (Australian politician)
Sir Alexander Stuart KCMG was Premier of New South Wales from 5 January 1883 to 7 October 1885.-Early years:Stuart was born at Edinburgh, the son of Alexander Stuart and his wife Mary, née McKnight. Stuart was educated at the Edinburgh Academy and attended the University of Edinburgh, but did not...
's ministry
Ministry (collective executive)
A ministry refers to a collective body of government ministers headed by a prime minister or premier. Although the term "cabinet" can in some circumstances be a synonym, a ministry can be a broader concept which might include office-holders that do not participate in cabinet meetings...
. After a ministry reconstruction by Sir George Dibbs
George Dibbs
Sir George Richard Dibbs KCMG was an Australian politician who was Premier of New South Wales on three occasions.-Early years:Dibbs was born in Sydney, son of Captain John Dibbs, who disappeared in the same year...
in 1885, Abbott became the secretary of lands.
Family and social life
Abbott was born in MuswellbrookMuswellbrook, New South Wales
Muswellbrook, a corruption of 'Muscle Brook', is a town and Local Government Area in New South Wales, Australia. The original spelling and etymology of the town's name is a matter of some debate...
in New South Wales
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 was the son of John Abbott and Frances Amanda (née Brady). Attending the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
school in Muswellbrook, he later became a devout member for the church.
He was initiated as a Freemason in 1864, and served as Grand Master
Grand Master (Masonic)
In Freemasonry a Grand Master is the leader of the lodges within his Masonic jurisdiction. He presides over a Grand Lodge, and has certain rights in the constituent lodges that form his jurisdiction....
of the United Grand Lodge
Grand Lodge
A Grand Lodge, or "Grand Orient", is the usual governing body of "Craft", or "Blue Lodge", Freemasonry in a particular jurisdiction. The first Masonic Grand Lodge was established in England in 1717 as the Premier Grand Lodge of England....
of New South Wales from 1895 to 1899. Abbott, along with many other politicians, was a member of the Australian Club
Australian Club
The Australian Club is a private club founded in 1838 and located in Sydney at 165 Macquarie Street. Its membership is men-only and it's the oldest gentlemen's club in the southern hemisphere...
and Union Club
Union Club
Union Club may refer to:* Union Club of Boston* Union Club of the City of New York* Pacific-Union Club* Union Club , a London gentlemen's club based in Trafalgar Square, between 1827 and 1923, in what is now Canada House.* Union Club, Cleveland, Ohio...
.
He was knighted in 1892. For his services towards Australian law and politics, he was made a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
in 1895.
In 1873, at West Maitland, Abbott married Matilda Elizabeth (née Macartney) with whom he had two sons and a daughter. She died in 1880. In 1883, at East Maitland, he married Edith (née Solomon); they had one son and three daughters. One son, Mac Abbott (1877-1960), also a solicitor, was also a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...
for Upper Hunter
Electoral district of Upper Hunter
Upper Hunter is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by George Souris of the National Party of Australia....
(1913-1918). Another son, Joe Abbott (1895–1961) was member for New England
Division of New England
The Division of New England is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales. It is located in the north-east of the state, adjoining the border with Queensland. It includes such towns as Armidale, Ashford, Barraba, Bingara, Bundarra, Glen Innes, Gunnedah, Guyra, Inverell,...
in the 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....
from 1940 to 1949.
Abbott died on 15 September 1901, and was buried in Waverley
Waverley, New South Wales
Waverley is an eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Waverley is located 7 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Waverley Council....
cemetery.