Arthur Macalister facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Arthur Macalister CMG
2nd Premier of Queensland
In office 1 February 1866 – 20 July 1866
Preceded by	Robert Herbert
Succeeded by	Robert Herbert
Constituency	Town of Ipswich
In office 7 August 1866 – 15 August 1867
Preceded by	Robert Herbert
Succeeded by	Robert Mackenzie
Constituency	Town of Ipswich
In office 8 January 1874 – 5 June 1876
Preceded by	Arthur Hunter Palmer
Succeeded by	George Thorn Jr
Constituency	Ipswich
Speaker of the Queensland Legislative Assembly
In office 15 November 1870 – 21 June 1871
Preceded by	Gilbert Eliott
Succeeded by	Frederick Forbes
Constituency	Eastern Downs
Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for Ipswich
In office 14 June 1859 – 10 December 1859
Preceded by	New seat
Succeeded by	Seat abolished
Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Town of Ipswich
In office 10 May 1860 – 18 September 1868 Serving with Frederick Forbes, Ratcliffe Pring, George Reed, John Murphy, Patrick O'Sullivan, Henry Challinor
Preceded by	New seat
Succeeded by	Henry Williams
In office 22 October 1872 – 14 June 1876 Serving with Benjamin Cribb, John Thompson
Preceded by	New seat
Succeeded by	George Thorn Jr
Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Eastern Downs
In office 18 September 1868 – 22 July 1871
Preceded by	John Douglas
Succeeded by	Edmond Thornton
Personal details
Born	18 January 1818 Glasgow, Scotland, UK
Died	23 March 1883(1883-03-23) (aged 65) Glasgow, Scotland, UK
Spouse	Elizabeth Wallace Tassie

Arthur Macalister, CMG (born January 18, 1818 – died March 23, 1883) was a very important leader in early Queensland, Australia. He served three times as the Premier of Queensland, which is like being the head of the government for the state.

Early Life and Moving to Australia

Arthur Macalister was born in Glasgow, Scotland. His father, John Macalister, was a cabinet maker. Arthur went to school in Glasgow. In 1839, he and his wife, Elizabeth, sailed to Australia, arriving in Sydney.

After arriving, Arthur worked in different jobs. In 1840, he became a clerk and postmaster in a town called Scone, New South Wales. Later, he worked for a lawyer in Sydney. By 1850, he became a qualified lawyer himself.

Starting a Political Career

Arthur Macalister then moved to the Moreton Bay area, which is now Queensland but was part of New South Wales back then. He strongly supported the idea of Queensland becoming its own separate colony. In 1859, he was elected to the New South Wales Parliament to represent Ipswich.

Later in 1859, Queensland officially became a separate colony from New South Wales. Arthur Macalister was elected to Queensland's very first parliament, again representing Ipswich. He became the chairman of committees, helping to organize the parliament's work.

Becoming Premier of Queensland

In March 1862, Arthur Macalister joined the government led by Robert Herbert. He was in charge of public lands and works. When Robert Herbert stepped down on February 1, 1866, Arthur Macalister became the Premier of Queensland for the first time.

His first time as Premier was short. He resigned in July 1866 because the Governor, Sir George Bowen, disagreed with his plan to print special government money to help with a financial problem. The colony was facing money troubles because a bank had failed. Robert Herbert then became Premier again and quickly passed a law to issue special government bonds, which helped the colony through the crisis.

However, Robert Herbert had to leave for England soon after. So, Arthur Macalister became Premier again on August 7, 1866. He stayed in this role for about a year.

Other Important Roles

After his second time as Premier, Arthur Macalister was again elected Chairman of Committees. In November 1868, when Charles Lilley became Premier, Macalister took on important roles overseeing public lands, works, and goldfields.

In November 1870, Arthur Macalister was elected Speaker of the Queensland Legislative Assembly. This meant he was in charge of running the parliament's meetings and making sure rules were followed. He lost his seat in 1871 but was re-elected for Ipswich in 1872.

Arthur Macalister formed his third government as Premier in January 1874. He resigned in June 1876 to become the Agent-General for Queensland in London. This job meant he represented Queensland's interests in the United Kingdom.

Later Life and Legacy

Arthur Macalister's health began to decline in 1881, so he resigned from his role as Agent-General. The Queensland parliament gave him a pension of £500 a year. In 1876, he was honored with the title of Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG).

Arthur Macalister passed away near Glasgow, Scotland, on March 23, 1883, at the age of 65. He was survived by his wife, Elizabeth.

Arthur Macalister is remembered in Queensland in several ways:

• A street in the Brisbane suburb of Carina Heights is named Macalister Street.
• The electoral district of Macalister, a voting area created in 2017, was named after him.
• The Macalister Range in Far North Queensland was named in his honor in 1873.
• The town of Macalister on the Western Darling Downs was also named after him.

See Also

• Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly, 1860–1863; 1863–1867; 1867–1868; 1868–1870; 1870–1871; 1871–1873; 1873–1878