Thomas Joseph Byrnes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Thomas Joseph Byrnes
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| 12th Premier of Queensland | |
| In office 13 April 1898 – 27 September 1898 |
|
| Preceded by | Sir Hugh Nelson |
| Succeeded by | James Dickson |
| Constituency | Warwick |
| Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Cairns |
|
| In office 29 April 1893 – 4 April 1896 |
|
| Preceded by | Frederick Wimble |
| Succeeded by | Isidor Lissner |
| Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Warwick |
|
| In office 4 April 1896 – 27 September 1898 |
|
| Preceded by | Arthur Morgan |
| Succeeded by | Arthur Morgan |
| Member of the Queensland Legislative Council | |
| In office 12 August 1890 – 13 March 1893 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 11 November 1860 Spring Hill, Queensland |
| Died | 27 September 1898 (aged 37) Brisbane, Queensland |
| Resting place | Toowong Cemetery |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Political party | Ministerialist |
| Alma mater | University of Melbourne |
| Occupation | Barrister |
Thomas Joseph Byrnes (born November 11, 1860, died September 27, 1898) was an important Australian politician and a lawyer. He became the leader of Queensland, known as the Premier, in April 1898. He held this job until he passed away in September of the same year. Before becoming Premier, he worked in many other government roles. He was the first Catholic Premier of Queensland and the first Premier to die while still in office.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Thomas Joseph Byrnes was born in Spring Hill, Queensland. His parents, Patrick and Anna Byrnes, had moved from Ireland.
Young Thomas went to Bowen State School. He was a very bright student. He won a special award called a scholarship because he was the top student in the state. This scholarship allowed him to study at Brisbane Grammar School. After that, he went to the University of Melbourne. There, he studied both arts and law and did very well, graduating with high honors.
While at the University of Melbourne, he was active in student groups. He even taught at Xavier College for a short time in 1882-1883.
Political Career and Law Work
Byrnes became a barrister (a type of lawyer) in Victoria in 1884. Soon after, he also became a barrister in Queensland. He quickly became very successful in his law career.
His talent caught the eye of Sir Samuel Griffith, who was the Premier of Queensland at the time. Griffith appointed Byrnes as the Solicitor-General. This is a senior legal advisor to the government. Byrnes also got a seat in the Legislative Council, which was part of Queensland's parliament.
In 1893, Byrnes left the Legislative Council. He successfully ran for election to the Legislative Assembly for the area of Cairns. He represented Cairns until 1896. After that, he represented the area of Warwick from 1896 until his death in 1898.
Byrnes also continued his private law work. He was involved in two big cases in the Supreme Court of Queensland. He was praised for his skill in these cases.
In 1895 and 1897, Byrnes represented Queensland at meetings of the Federal Council of Australasia. This council was a group that discussed ideas for how the Australian colonies could work together.
Sir Thomas McIlwraith made Byrnes the Attorney-General of Queensland. This is another important legal role in the government. When Hugh Nelson stepped down as Premier, Thomas Byrnes became the new Premier. He was the youngest person in the government at that time.
Views on Federation
Byrnes was Premier for only five months. During this time, the biggest topic was whether the Australian colonies should join together to form one country, known as Federation.
Before he became Premier, Byrnes was strongly against Federation. He thought it was a plan by politicians who wanted to seem more important. He believed it didn't recognize that Australia was a smaller power. He felt that Federation would try to create a "smaller empire" and stop Queensland from developing properly.
Instead of a full Federation, Byrnes preferred the Federal Council of Australasia. This council met every two years. He suggested that people should directly vote for delegates to this council. However, other leaders who supported Federation disagreed, and his idea was not accepted. This decision effectively ended the council's importance.
When Byrnes became Premier in April 1898, his views on Federation became less strong. He toured parts of Queensland that supported Federation. He started talking about the idea of working together in a more general way. In July 1898, he met with the Premier of New South Wales, George Reid. What they discussed is still a mystery.
Death and Legacy
Sadly, Thomas Byrnes became sick with measles during his visit to Sydney in July 1898. This illness turned into pneumonia. He passed away on September 27, 1898.
Byrnes was given a state funeral. This is a special public funeral for important people. The funeral procession went from St Stephen's Cathedral to the Toowong Cemetery. He was never married and was survived by his brothers and sisters.
Thomas Byrnes is remembered with two statues. One is in Centenary Place in Brisbane. The other is a heritage-listed monument in Warwick. Both statues were paid for by public donations.
The process of creating the Brisbane statue had some challenges. The sculptor, Achille Simonetti, had never met Byrnes. He made a model from photos, but the committee didn't think it looked enough like Byrnes. They also argued about whether Byrnes should wear a university gown or a regular coat. They decided on a coat to show him as a Premier.
Later, Simonetti became ill and passed away. Another sculptor, Bertram Mackennal, was chosen to finish the statue.
The town of Byrnestown in Queensland is named after him. Its main street, Byrnes Parade, and its railway station also carry his name.
St Thomas's Catholic Church in Camp Hill, Brisbane, is another memorial to Byrnes. He had owned the land where the church was built. After his death, his sister Matilda Margaret Maloney inherited it. In 1916, she sold the land to the Catholic Church. When she died in 1922, she left money to help build the church in memory of her brother.
