James Robert Dickson

The Hon Sir James Dickson KCMG
Premier of Queensland
In office 1 October 1898 – 1 December 1899
Preceded by	Thomas Joseph Byrnes
Succeeded by	Anderson Dawson
Federal Minister for Defence
In office 1 January 1901 – 10 January 1901
Preceded by	None (new creation)
Succeeded by	John Forrest
Treasurer of Queensland
In office 5 June 1876 – 21 January 1879
Preceded by	William Hemmant
Succeeded by	Thomas McIlwraith
In office 31 December 1883 – 17 August 1887
Preceded by	James Francis Garrick
Succeeded by	Samuel Griffith
Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Enoggera
In office 28 November 1873 – 12 May 1888 Serving with Arthur Rutledge, John Bale, Robert Bulcock
Preceded by	New seat
Succeeded by	James Drake
Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Bulimba
In office 16 April 1892 – 10 January 1901
Preceded by	John Francis Buckland
Succeeded by	Walter Barnes
Personal details
Born	30 November 1832 Plymouth, Devon, England, UK
Died	10 January 1901 (aged 68) Sydney, Australia
Resting place	Nundah Cemetery
Political party	Protectionist Party, Ministerialist
Spouse(s)	Annie Ely, Mary MacKinlay
Occupation	Auctioneer, Real estate agent
Religion	Anglican

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]

James Dickson's Grave at Brisbane's Nundah Cemetery.

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 accorded a state funeral; it proceeded from Toorak, his residence at Hamilton, to the All Saints Anglican Church. After a short service it moved on to the Nundah Cemetery.^[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

• List of Australian ministries

References

1. Cuthbert, D. D. (1981). "Dickson, Sir James Robert (1832–1901)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: Australian National University. Retrieved 20 October 2007.
2. Serle, Percival. "Dickson, Sir James Robert (1832–1901)". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Project Gutenberg Australia. Retrieved 20 October 2007.
3. "PROPOSED STATE FUNERAL.". The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933). Qld.: National Library of Australia. 11 January 1901. p. 5. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
4. The London Gazette: no. 27261. p. 1. 1 January 1901.

External links