Sir Edmund Barton, GCMG, KC (18 January 1849 – 7 January 1920), Australian politician and judge, served as the first Prime Minister of Australia and became a founding justice of the High Court of Australia.
Barton first became an MP in 1879, in the Parliament of New South Wales. He contributed solidly to the federation movement through the 1890s, eventually contesting the inaugural 1901 federal election as head of a caretaker Protectionist Party ...
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Sir Edmund Barton, GCMG, KC (18 January 1849 – 7 January 1920), Australian politician and judge, served as the first Prime Minister of Australia and became a founding justice of the High Court of Australia.
Barton first became an MP in 1879, in the Parliament of New South Wales. He contributed solidly to the federation movement through the 1890s, eventually contesting the inaugural 1901 federal election as head of a caretaker Protectionist Party federal government. No party won a majority, however the government was supported by the Australian Labor Party, against the opposition Free Trade Party.
Barton resigned from the position of Prime Minister of Australia in 1903. He is one of only three Australian prime ministers who left the position at a time of their own choosing. Barton became a judge of Australia's High Court, serving for 17 years until his death in 1920.
He was born in the city of Glebe, the ninth child of English parents William Barton, a stockbroker, and Mary Louise...
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