The Martin ministry or First Martin ministry was the eighth ministry of the Colony of 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 first occasion of being led by the Premier

Premiers of New South Wales

The Premier of New South Wales is the head of government in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Government of New South Wales follows the Westminster system, with a Parliament of New South Wales acting as the legislature...

, the Honourable James Martin

James Martin (Australian politician)

Sir James Martin, KCB, QC was three times Premier of New South Wales, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales from 1873 to 1886.-Early career:...

, QC.
Martin was elected in the first free elections for 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...

 held in 1856. He came to power as Premier after he successfully defeated 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....

 at the 1863 general election.

There was no party system in New South Wales politics until 1887. Under the constitution, ministers were required to resign to recontest their seats in a by-election when appointed. These by-elections are only noted when the minister was defeated; in general, he was elected unopposed.

This ministry covers the period from 16 October 1863 until 2 February 1865, when Cowper retained government by defeating Martin at the 1865 general election.

Composition of ministry

Portfolio	Minister	Term commence	Term end	Term of office
Premier Attorney-General	Hon. James Martin QC MLA	16 October 1863	2 February 1865
Colonial Secretary Chief Secretary The Chief Secretary is the title of a senior civil servant in members of the Commonwealth of Nations, and, historically, in the British Empire. Prior to the dissolution of the colonies, the Chief Secretary was the second most important official in a colony of the British Empire after the...	Hon. William Forster MLA
Colonial Treasurer Treasurer of New South Wales The Treasurer of New South Wales, known from 1856–1959 as the Colonial Treasurer of New South Wales, is the minister in the Government of New South Wales responsible for government expenditure and revenue raising and is the head of the New South Wales Treasury. The Treasurer plays a key role in...	Hon. Geoffrey Eagar Geoffrey Eagar Geoffrey Eagar was an accountant and Treasurer of the Government of New South Wales, Australia.Eagar was born in Sydney, son of Edward, an emancipated convict who helped found the Westpac Bank, then known as the Bank of New South Wales. Edward left Australia to take a legal battle over the rights...  MLA
Solicitor-General	Hon. Peter Faucett Peter Faucett Peter Faucett was an Australian barrister, jurist and politician. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council between 1888 and 1894 and a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly between 1856 and 1865. He held the position of Solicitor-General in the first government of...  MLA
Secretary for Lands	Hon. John Wilson MLA
Secretary for Public Works	Hon. Arthur Holroyd Arthur Holroyd Arthur Todd Holroyd was an Australian lawyer and politician. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council between 1852 and 1856. He was also a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for two periods between 1856 and 1857 and again between 1861 and 1864.-Early life:Holroyd...  MLA
Representative of the Government in Legislative Council Vice-President of the Executive Council	Hon. John Plunkett John Plunkett John Hubert Plunkett was Attorney-General of New South Wales and elected as a member of the Legislative Assembly.-Early life:...  MLC	23 November 1863

See also

• James Martin
  James Martin (Australian politician)
  Sir James Martin, KCB, QC was three times Premier of New South Wales, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales from 1873 to 1886.-Early career:...
  
   - sixth Premier of New South Wales
• Self-government in New South Wales
• Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, 1860–1864
  Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, 1860–1864
  This is a list of members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1860 to 1864:This is a list of members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1860 to 1864:...
  
  
• Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, 1864–1869
  Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, 1864–1869
  This is a list of members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly elected for the 5th Legislative Assembly at the 1864 colonial election.By-elections...
  
  
• 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....