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 formed16 October 1863 (1863-10-16)
Date dissolved2 February 1865 (1865-02-02)
People and organisations
Head of stateQueen Victoria (represented by Sir John Young)
Head of governmentJames Martin
No. of ministers7
Member partyunaligned
Status in legislatureMinority government
Opposition partyunaligned
Opposition leaderCharles Cowper
History
Outgoing election1864–65
PredecessorThird Cowper ministry
SuccessorFourth 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
  1. Serle, Percival. "Martin, James (1820-1886)". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Project Gutenberg Australia. Retrieved 18 February 2007.
  2. "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
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