James Martin (Australian politician)
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- For other persons named James Martin, see James Martin (disambiguation).
| James Martin | |
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| In office 1863 – 1865 1866-1868 1870-1872 |
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| Preceded by | Charles Cowper Charles Cowper Charles Cowper |
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| Succeeded by | Charles Cowper John Robertson Henry Parkes |
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| Born | May 14, 1820 Midleton, Ireland |
| Died | November 4, 1886 Potts Point, New South Wales |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Sir James Martin (May 14, 1820 - November 4, 1886) was three times Premier of New South Wales, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales from 1873 - 1886.
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[edit] Early career
Martin was born in Midleton, Ireland but emigrated with his parents to Sydney, Australia at the age of one. He was educated at the Sydney Academy and Sydney College under the tutelage of William Timothy Cape, and left school at the age of 16 to become a reporter.
In 1838, Martin published the Australian Sketch Book, a series of character sketches he dedicated to Sydney barrister G. R. Nichols, for whom he was then working as an articled clerk.
Martin qualified as a solicitor in 1841, and combined his legal career with employment as a newspaper editor and publisher. He married Isabella Long on 22 January 1853 and together they produced 16 children.
[edit] Early political career
In 1848 Martin stood for the electorate of Durham in the New South Wales Legislative Council, but withdrew before polling day. Later in the same year he was unopposed in a by-election for the electorate of Cook and Westmoreland.
Martin was an effective legislator but his sharp tongue and intemperate speeches to the House made him few friends among his parliamentary colleagues. His most notable political achievement in his first eight years in office was to initiate the Parliamentary debate that led to the establishment of a branch of the royal mint in Sydney.
In 1856 he was elected to the first parliament under responsible government, and in August was made Attorney General in the first ministry of Charles Cowper. The appointment was controversial, as Martin was the first holder of the post not to be a qualifed barrister. The appointment was brief, as the government was defeated in a no-confidence motion in October 1856 and Martin returned to the backbench.
Martin qualified as a barrister in 1857, and was returned as Attorney General in the second Cowper Ministry in that year. However, his reputation for intemperate language continued and after a series of conflicts with fellow Ministers he resigned his post in November 1858.
[edit] Premier of New South Wales
In October 1863, Martin was asked by the Governor of New South Wales to form a government with a mandate to address rising State deficits and rural unemployment. Premier Martin promptly introduced measures to reduce immigration and increase tariffs, but was unable to secure Parliamentary support for many of his reforms. With limited achievements to its credit, the government suffered a substantial swing at the 1865 election and Martin stepped down to make way for the return of Charles Cowper.
Cowper was once again defeated in a no-confidence motion in December 1865, and in January 1866 Martin became Premier for the second time as leader of a coalition government with former rival Henry Parkes. His government resigned in October 1868, but he returned to the Premiership for a third and final time between December 1870 and May 1872.
[edit] After politics
Martin retired from Parliament in November 1873 and was immediately named to the vacant position of Chief Justice of the New South Wales Supreme Court. He held the post for 13 years, despite considerable ill health in later life.
James Martin died at home in Potts Point, Sydney on November 4, 1886.
[edit] References
- Serle, Percival (1949). “Martin, James”, Dictionary of Australian Biography. Sydney: Angus and Robertson.
- The Honourable Sir James Martin, Kt - Law and History 2: Lawlink NSW
| Preceded by: Charles Cowper |
Premier of New South Wales (first term) 1863-1865 |
Succeeded by: Charles Cowper |
| Preceded by: Charles Cowper |
Premier of New South Wales (second term) 1866-1868 |
Succeeded by: John Robertson |
| Premiers of New South Wales |  |
|---|---|
| Donaldson | Cowper | Parker | Forster | Robertson | Martin | Parkes | Farnell | Stuart | Dibbs | Jennings | Reid | Lyne | See | Waddell | Carruthers | Wade | McGowen | Holman | Storey | Dooley | Fuller | Lang | Bavin | Stevens | Mair | McKell | McGirr | Cahill | Heffron | Renshaw | Askin | Lewis | Willis | Wran | Unsworth | Greiner | Fahey | Carr | Iemma | |
