Edmund Barton

The Right Honourable Sir Edmund Barton GCMG KC
Barton in 1902
1st Prime Minister of Australia
In office 1 January 1901 – 24 September 1903
Monarchs	Victoria Edward VII
Governors‑General	Lord Hopetoun Lord Tennyson
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Alfred Deakin
Justice of the High Court of Australia
In office 5 October 1903 – 7 January 1920
Nominated by	Alfred Deakin
Appointed by	Lord Tennyson
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Hayden Starke
Other political offices Leader of the Protectionist Party In office 1 January 1901 – 24 September 1903 Deputy Alfred Deakin Preceded by Party created Succeeded by Alfred Deakin Minister for External Affairs In office 1 January 1901 – 24 September 1903 Prime Minister Himself Succeeded by Alfred Deakin Leader of the Opposition in New South Wales In office 5 October 1898 – 23 August 1899 Premier George Reid Preceded by William Lyne Succeeded by William Lyne Attorney General of New South Wales In office 23 October 1891 – 14 December 1893 Premier George Dibbs Preceded by George Bowen Simpson Succeeded by Charles Heydon In office 17 January 1889 – 7 March 1889 Premier George Dibbs Preceded by George Bowen Simpson Succeeded by George Bowen Simpson Speaker of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly In office 3 January 1883 – 31 January 1887 Preceded by Sir George Wigram Allen Succeeded by James Henry Young
Constituencies Member of the Parliament of Australia for the Division of Hunter In office 30 March 1901 – 30 September 1903 Preceded by Constituency established Succeeded by Frank Liddell Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly In office 23 November 1898 – 1 March 1900 Preceded by Francis Clarke Succeeded by Francis Clarke Constituency Hastings and Macleay In office 11 July 1891 – 3 August 1894 Preceded by Walter Bradley Succeeded by Constituency abolished Constituency East Sydney In office 28 December 1882 – 2 March 1887 Preceded by Arthur Renwick Succeeded by William McMillan Constituency East Sydney In office 14 December 1880 – 28 December 1882 Preceded by John Shepherd Succeeded by David Ferguson Constituency Wellington In office 26 August 1879 – 14 December 1880 Preceded by William Windeyer Succeeded by Constituency abolished Constituency University of Sydney Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council In office 12 May 1897 – 18 July 1898 In office 8 March 1887 – 12 June 1891
Personal details
Born	(1849-01-18)18 January 1849 Glebe, Colony of New South Wales, British Empire (now New South Wales, Australia)
Died	7 January 1920(1920-01-07) (aged 70) Hydro Majestic Hotel, Medlow Bath, New South Wales, Australia
Resting place	Waverley Cemetery
Political party	Protectionist (after 1887)
Spouse	Jane Ross ​ (m. 1877)​
Children	6
Education	Fort Street High School Sydney Grammar School
Alma mater	University of Sydney
Profession	Barrister Politician
Signature

This article is part of a series about Edmund Barton
Hopetoun Blunder Member for Hunter (1901–1903) Prime Minister of Australia Term of government (1901–1903) 1901 Australian federal election Barton ministry Immigration Restriction Act 1901 Commonwealth Franchise Act 1902 Justice of the High Court of Australia (1903–1920) D'Emden v Pedder Blundell v Vardon New South Wales vs Commonwealth Farey v Burvett
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Sir Edmund "Toby" Barton GCMG KC (18 January 1849 – 7 January 1920) was an Australian statesman, barrister and jurist who served as the first prime minister of Australia from 1901 to 1903. He held office as the leader of the Protectionist Party, before resigning in 1903 to become a founding member of the High Court of Australia, on which he served until his death. He was highly regarded as one of the leaders and founding fathers of the Federation movement and for his work in drafting and later interpreting the Constitution of Australia and early federal laws.

Barton was an early supporter of the federation of the Australian colonies, the goal of which he summarised as "a nation for a continent, and a continent for a nation". After the retirement of Henry Parkes he came to be seen as the leader of the federation movement in New South Wales. He was a delegate to the constitutional conventions, playing a key role in the drafting of a national constitution, and was one of the lead campaigners for federation in the subsequent referendums. In late 1900, despite the initial "Hopetoun Blunder", Barton was commissioned to form a caretaker government as Australia's first prime minister. His term began on 1 January 1901, the date on which federation occurred.

At the first federal election in March 1901, Barton and the Protectionists won the most seats, but were well short of a majority. He was able to remain as prime minister by forming an alliance with the fledgling Australian Labor Party (ALP), which held the balance of power. The Barton government established a number of new national institutions, including the Australian Defence Force and the Commonwealth Public Service. It introduced nation-wide women's suffrage, and laid the foundations of the White Australia policy with the Immigration Restriction Act 1901.

Barton left politics in 1903 to become one of the three founding members of the High Court, which his government had created. He was succeeded as prime minister by Alfred Deakin. On the court, Barton was able to shape the judicial interpretation of the constitution he had helped write.