James Robert Dickson
| Sir James Dickson KCMG | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 13th Premier of Queensland | |
| In office 1 October 1898 – 1 December 1899 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas Joseph Byrnes |
| Succeeded by | Anderson Dawson |
| 1st Minister for Defence (Australia) | |
| In office 1 January 1901 – 10 January 1901 | |
| Succeeded by | John Forrest |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 30 November 1832 Plymouth, Devon, England, UK |
| Died | 10 January 1901 (aged 68) Sydney, Australia |
| Political party | Protectionist Party |
Sir James Robert Dickson, KCMG (30 November 1832 – 10 January 1901) was an Australian politician and businessman, the 13th Premier of Queensland and a member of the first federal ministry.
Biography
Dickson was born in Plymouth, Devon, and migrated initially to Victoria in 1854. He settled in Queensland in 1862, becoming an auctioneer. A wealthy and influential businessman, he was elected as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland for Enoggera in 1873. He was made Secretary for Public Works and Mines in 1876 under Arthur Macalister, and was Treasurer 1876–79. In the absence of Sir Samuel Griffith he was briefly Opposition Leader, and was Treasurer again 1883–87 after Griffith became Premier. He lost his seat in 1888 but was again elected for Bulimba in 1892, supporting the importation of labourers from the South Pacific to work on the Queensland canefields.[1][2]
In the so-called Continuous Ministry of the late 1890s, Dickson attained the positions of Secretary for Railways in 1897, Postmaster-General and Home Secretary 1898–99. In September 1898, after the death of Thomas Byrnes he was made Premier. The Continuous Ministry by this stage was falling apart, and Dickson had only a brief period in office before Anderson Dawson gained the support of the Legislative Assembly to become the leader of the world's first Labour Party government. The Ministerialists regrouped a week later to vote Dawson out of office. Dickson lacked support to become Premier again, and that position instead went to Robert Philp, in whose government Dickson was Chief Secretary.[1]
Dickson was a leading supporter of federation in Queensland and was mainly responsible for winning a "yes" vote in the Queensland referendum on the proposed Constitution of Australia in 1900. As a result, Dickson was appointed Minister for Defence in the first federal ministry under Edmund Barton on 1 January 1901. He was intending to stand for election to the first Federal Parliament, but on 10 January he died after being taken ill at the Commonwealth's inaugural ceremonies in Sydney on 1 January. He was the first federal Minister to die in office.[1][2] He was buried in Nundah Cemetery, Brisbane on Saturday 12 January 1901.[3]
Honours
Only nine days before he died, Dickson was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in the New Years Honours List 1 January 1901, in recognition of services in connection with the Federation of Australian Colonies and the establishment of the Commonwealth of Australia.[4] The federal electoral division of Dickson in Queensland, and the Canberra suburb of Dickson are named after him.
See also
- Australian Commonwealth ministries 1901-2004
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Cuthbert, D. D. (1981). "Dickson, Sir James Robert (1832–1901)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: Australian National University. Retrieved 20 October 2007.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Serle, Percival. "Dickson, Sir James Robert (1832–1901)". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Project Gutenberg Australia. Retrieved 20 October 2007.
- ↑ "SUMMARY OF NEWS.". The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864–1933) (Qld.: National Library of Australia). 14 January 1901. p. 4. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 27261. p. 1. 1 January 1901.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to James Robert Dickson. |
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by New electorate |
Legislative Assembly of Queensland Electoral district of Enoggera 28 November 1873 - 12 May 1888 |
Succeeded by James Drake |
| Preceded by John Francis Buckland |
Legislative Assembly of Queensland Electoral district of Bulimba 16 April 1892-10 January 1901 |
Succeeded by Walter Henry Barnes |
| Preceded by T.J. Byrnes |
Premier of Queensland 1898–99 |
Succeeded by Anderson Dawson |
| Preceded by New creation |
Australian Minister for Defence 1901 |
Succeeded by John Forrest |
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