Cowper ministry (1865–1866)

Last updated

Fourth Cowper ministry
9th Cabinet of the Colony of New South Wales
Charlescowper.jpg Australian states history 13.gif
Premier Charles Cowper and the Colony of New South Wales (1863–1900)
Date formed3 February 1865 (1865-02-03)
Date dissolved21 January 1866 (1866-01-21)
People and organisations
Monarch Queen Victoria
Governor Sir John Young
Head of government Charles Cowper
No. of ministers7
Member partyunaligned
Status in legislatureMinority government
Opposition partyunaligned
Opposition leader James Martin
History
Election(s) 1864–65
Predecessor First Martin ministry
Successor Second Martin ministry

The fourth Cowper ministry was the ninth ministry of the Colony of New South Wales, and fourth occasion of being led by Charles Cowper.

Contents

Cowper was elected in the first free elections for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly held in March 1856, and fought unsuccessfully with Stuart Donaldson to form Government. When Donaldson's Government faltered a little over two months after it was formed, Cowper formed Government on the first occasion, but he also lost the confidence of the Assembly a few months later. Cowper formed Government on the second occasion between 1857 and 1859; but it also lost the confidence of the Assembly. On the third occasion, Cowper formed Government following the decision by Premier John Robertson to step aside and focus on land reform, [1] however Cowper then lost the confidence to James Martin. [2] Cowper retained government by defeating Martin at the 1864–65 general election. [3]

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. [4] Such ministerial by-elections were usually uncontested however on this occasion a poll was required in East Sydney (Charles Cowper), The Glebe (Thomas Smart) and West Sydney (John Darvall and John Robertson). Each minister was comfortably re-elected. Only The Paterson (William Arnold) was uncontested. [5]

This ministry covers the period from 3 February 1865 until 21 January 1866, when Martin was asked to form government after Cowper again lost the confidence of the Assembly in December 1865. [6]

Composition of ministry

PortfolioMinisterTerm startTerm endTerm length
Premier
Colonial Secretary 		Charles Cowper 3 February 186521 January 1866352 days
Colonial Treasurer Thomas Smart 19 October 1865258 days
Saul Samuel 20 October 18653 January 186675 days
Marshall Burdekin 4 January 186621 January 186617 days
Attorney General John Darvall 3 February 186520 June 1865137 days
John Plunkett 25 August 186521 January 1866149 days
Solicitor General
Representative of the Government in the Legislative Council 		John Hargrave MLC 3 February 1865352 days
Secretary for Lands John Robertson 19 October 1865258 days
William Arnold 20 October 186530 October 186510 days
John Robertson 1 January 186621 January 186620 days
Secretary for Public Works William Arnold 3 February 186519 October 1865258 days
Thomas Smart 20 October 186521 January 186693 days
Postmaster-General   [lower-alpha 1] James Cunneen 1 October 1865112 days

  Ministers are members of the Legislative Assembly unless otherwise noted.

  1. ↑ A member of the government without a seat in the Cabinet.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Cowper</span> Australian politician

Sir Charles Cowper, was an Australian politician and the Premier of New South Wales on five occasions from 1856 to 1870.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Hay (New South Wales politician)</span> Australian politician

Sir John Hay was a New South Wales politician.

The first Cowper ministry was the second ministry of the Colony of New South Wales, and was led by Charles Cowper. It was the first of five occasions that Cowper was Leader of the Government. Cowper was elected in the first free elections for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly held in March 1856, and fought unsuccessfully with Stuart Donaldson to form Government. When Donaldson's Government faltered a little over two months after it was formed, Cowper formed Government.

The second Cowper ministry was the fourth ministry of the Colony of New South Wales, and second occasion of being led by Charles Cowper.

The Forster ministry was the fifth ministry of the Colony of New South Wales, and was led by William Forster. Forster was elected in the first free elections for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly held in March 1856. He was asked to form Government after the second Cowper ministry lost an educational bill in the Assembly.

The first Robertson ministry was the sixth ministry of the Colony of New South Wales, and was led by John Robertson. It was the first of five occasions that Robertson was Premier. Robertson was elected in the first free elections for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly held in March 1856.

The third Cowper ministry was the seventh ministry of the Colony of New South Wales, and third occasion of being led by Charles Cowper.

The first Martin ministry was the eighth ministry of the Colony of New South Wales, and first occasion of being led by James Martin QC.

The second Martin ministry was the tenth ministry of the Colony of New South Wales, and second of three occasions of being led by James Martin QC.

The second Robertson ministry was the eleventh ministry of the Colony of New South Wales, and was led by John Robertson. It was the second of five occasions that Robertson was Leader of the Government. Robertson was elected in the first free elections for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly held in March 1856.

The fifth Cowper ministry was the twelfth ministry of the Colony of New South Wales, and the fifth and final occasion of being led by Sir Charles Cowper.

The third Martin ministry was the thirteenth ministry of the Colony of New South Wales, and the third and final occasion of being led by Sir James Martin.

The second Parkes ministry was the sixteenth ministry of the Colony of New South Wales, and was led by Sir Henry Parkes. It was the second of five occasions that Parkes was Leader of the Government.

The Farnell ministry was the eighteenth ministry of the Colony of New South Wales, and was led by James Farnell. Farnell was first elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly in 1860.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parkes ministry (1878–1883)</span>

The third Parkes ministry was the nineteenth ministry of the Colony of New South Wales, and was led by Sir Henry Parkes in a coalition with Sir John Robertson. It was the third of five occasions that Parkes was Leader of the Government.

The fourth Parkes ministry was the 24th ministry of the Colony of New South Wales, and was led by the seventh Premier, Sir Henry Parkes. It was the fourth of five occasions that Parkes was Premier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parkes ministry (1889–1891)</span>

The fifth Parkes ministry was the 26th ministry of the Colony of New South Wales, and was led by the seventh Premier, Sir Henry Parkes. It was the fifth and final occasion that Parkes was Premier. The title of Premier was widely used to refer to the Leader of Government, but was not a formal position in the government until 1920. Instead the Premier was appointed to another portfolio, usually Colonial Secretary. Having served in the New South Wales Legislative Council between 1854 and 1856, Parkes was elected in the first free elections for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly held in 1856, however resigned from Parliament later that year. He served in the Assembly on several occasions, between 1858 and 1870, being forced to resign on 4 occasions due to his personal insolvency. He came to power as Premier on the first occasion in 1872, serving as Premier for a period of three years. However, Parkes lost the confidence of the Assembly following Governor Robinson's decision to release of the bushranger Frank Gardiner led to the defeat of the ministry in 1875.

A by-election was held for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly electorate of East Sydney on 17 February 1865 because Charles Cowper had been appointed Premier and Colonial Secretary, forming the fourth Cowper ministry. Such ministerial by-elections were usually uncontested however on this occasion a poll was required in East Sydney, The Glebe and West Sydney. Each minister was comfortably re-elected. Only The Paterson was uncontested.

A by-election was held for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly electorate of The Glebe on 17 February 1865 because Thomas Smart had been appointed Colonial Treasurer in the fourth Cowper ministry. Such ministerial by-elections were usually uncontested however on this occasion a poll was required in East Sydney, The Glebe and West Sydney. Each minister was comfortably re-elected. Only The Paterson was uncontested.

A by-election was held for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly electorate of West Sydney on 18 February 1865 because John Darvall had been appointed Attorney General, and John Robertson had been appointed Secretary for Lands in the fourth Cowper ministry. Such ministerial by-elections were usually uncontested however on this occasion a poll was required in East Sydney, The Glebe and West Sydney. Each minister was comfortably re-elected. Only The Paterson was uncontested.

References

  1. ↑ Nairn, Bede. "Robertson, Sir John (1816–1891)". Australian Dictionary of Biography . Melbourne University Press. ISSN   1833-7538 . Retrieved 17 December 2020– via National Centre of Biography, Australian National University.
  2. ↑ Serle, Percival (1949). "Martin, James". Dictionary of Australian Biography . Sydney: Angus and Robertson. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  3. ↑ Ward, John M. "Cowper, Sir Charles (1807–1875)". Australian Dictionary of Biography . Melbourne University Press. ISSN   1833-7538 . Retrieved 17 December 2020– via National Centre of Biography, Australian National University.
  4. ↑ Twomey, Anne (2004). The Constitution of New South Wales. Federation Press. pp.  442. ISBN   9781862875166 . Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  5. ↑ Green, Antony. "1865 to 1869 by-elections". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales . Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  6. ↑ Part 6 Ministries since 1856 (PDF). NSW Parliamentary Record. Parliament of New South Wales . Retrieved 15 December 2020.

 

Preceded by Fourth Cowper ministry
1865–1866		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.