1849-1920
federationist, first prime minister and judge
born on 18 January 1849 at Glebe, Sydney, in New South Wales
Curly black hair, very dark eyes, ‘chiselled features’. He liked his food and
drink and grew portly because of it. He was witty, and had a rich voice. He enjoyed
fishing.
My name is Edmund Barton and I represent ‘Young and free’ because I worked
tirelessly for twelve years to make Australia a Federated Nation and I was
Australia’s first prime minister.
IDEA
FOR SCENE: Time: August 1897. In the New South Wales Legislative Council the Australasian
Federal Convention’s constitution has been debated (as a draft bill) with hardly any
support. Edmund Barton is passionately in favour of a constitution that he helped to
write, but he is in the minority in the council. The attorney-general, J. H. Want, has
attacked the draft bill, saying that it is not fair to New South Wales and that it gives
too much away etc. The rest of the council agrees with him, shouts their approval and, on
26 August, makes amendment after amendment. Barton thinks that these changes completely
ruin the bill and declares "you might as well say you would improve a horse by
cutting his legs off!"
