Martin ministry (1863–65)
The first Martin ministry was the eighth ministry of the Colony of New South Wales, and first occasion of being led by the Honourable James Martin, QC.
First Martin ministry | |
---|---|
8th Cabinet of the Colony of New South Wales | |
Premier James Martin and the Colony of New South Wales (1863–1900) | |
Date formed | 16 October 1863 |
Date dissolved | 2 February 1865 |
People and organisations | |
Head of state | Queen Victoria (represented by Sir John Young) |
Head of government | James Martin |
No. of ministers | 7 |
Member party | unaligned |
Status in legislature | Minority government |
Opposition party | unaligned |
Opposition leader | Charles Cowper |
History | |
Outgoing election | 1864–65 |
Predecessor | Third Cowper ministry |
Successor | Fourth Cowper ministry |
Martin was elected in the first free elections for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly held in 1856. He came to power as Premier after Charles Cowper's government fell in October 1863.[1]
The title of Premier was widely used to refer to the Leader of Government, but not enshrined in formal use until 1920.
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 1864–65 general election.[2]
Composition of ministry
Portfolio | Minister | Term start | Term end | Term length |
---|---|---|---|---|
Premier Attorney-General |
Hon. James Martin QC MLA | 16 October 1863 | 2 February 1865 | 1 year, 109 days |
Colonial Secretary | Hon. William Forster MLA | |||
Colonial Treasurer | Hon. Geoffrey Eagar MLA | |||
Solicitor-General | Hon. Peter Faucett MLA | |||
Secretary for Lands | Hon. John Wilson MLA | |||
Secretary for Public Works | Hon. Arthur Holroyd MLA | |||
Vice-President of the Executive Council Representative of the Government in Legislative Council |
Hon. John Plunkett MLC | 23 November 1863 | 1 year, 71 days | |
See also
References
- Serle, Percival. "Martin, James (1820-1886)". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Project Gutenberg Australia. Retrieved 18 February 2007.
- "Former Members - Chronological List of Ministries 1856 to 2009 (requires download)". Project for the Sesquicentenary of Responsible Government in NSW. Parliament of New South Wales. Archived from the original (Excel spreadsheet) on 15 March 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2010.
Preceded by Third Cowper ministry |
First Martin ministry 1863–1865 |
Succeeded by Fourth Cowper ministry |