Rt Hon Charles Kingston

Charles Cameron Kingston, (October 22, 1850 - May 11, 1908) Australian politician, was Premier of South Australia and a member of the first Federal Parliament serving under the Protectionist Party. Events 202 BC - Hannibal Barca, leader of the Carthaginians, is defeated by the Roman legions under Scipio Africanus For the game see 1850 (board game. 1850 ( MDCCCL) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link Events 330 - Byzantium is renamed ''Nova Roma'' during a dedication ceremony but is more popularly referred to as Constantinople Year 1908 ( MCMVIII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. A politician (from Greek " Polis " is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making through the influence of Politics or a person See Premiers of the Australian states for a description and history of the office of Premier The Parliament of Australia or Commonwealth Parliament is the legislative branch of government of Australia. The Protectionist Party was an Australian political party formally organised from 1889 until 1909 with policies centred on Protectionism. He was a leading proponent of the federation of Australia and introduced the first law to give votes to women in Australia. The federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South

Kingston was born in Adelaide, the son of Sir George Kingston, a Protestant Irish-born surveyor, architect and landowner in the early days of British settlement in South Australia and later a member of the first South Australian Parliament. Adelaide is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of South Australia, and is the fifth largest city in Australia with a George Strickland Kingston (August 1807 in Bandon County Cork, Ireland – 1880 at sea arrived in South Australia on the Cygnet in 1836 South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country His mother, Ludovina Cameron, was of Portuguese descent. George Kingston boasted that he was "the first Irishman to set foot in the colony"^[1] and it is true that the Kingstons were among Adelaide's founding families. Charles was educated at the Adelaide Educational Institution and served his articles with Sir Samuel Way, Adelaide's leading lawyer and later Attorney-General. Sir Samuel James Way 1st Baronet ( 11 April 1836 &ndash 8 January 1916) (1899 English - Australian jurist was a He was called to the bar in 1873, despite the objection of the elder brother of his future wife, Lucy May McCarthy on the grounds of Kingston's alleged seduction of her. He became a QC in 1889. Queen's Counsel ( postnominal QC) &ndash known as King's Counsel ( KC) during the reign of a male sovereign  &ndash are ^[2][3]

In 1873 Kingston married Lucy McCarthy. Lucy was an invalid for much of her life and they had no children. In a remarkable gesture, however, Lucy took in a child, Kevin Kingston, whom Kingston had fathered with another woman, Elizabeth Watson, in 1883. As a result of this scandal, Kingston was ostracised by Adelaide "society," his contempt for whom he never troubled to conceal. Kevin died in 1902. Year 1902 ( MCMII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting

Political career

In 1881 Kingston was elected to the South Australian House of Assembly as a member for the working-class district of West Adelaide, as a radical liberal. Year 1881 ( MDCCCLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The House of Assembly, or lower house is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. He favoured reform of the Legislative Council (which was dominated by wealthy landowners) and other radical reforms. The Legislative Council, or upper house is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. He was rumoured to be a republican, an atheist and to favour the abolition of marriage, but none of these were true. He was described by William Maloney as the originator of the White Australia, although this policy came to be supported by virtually all Australian politicians at the time of federation. Dr William Robert Nuttal Maloney ( 12 April 1854 - 29 August 1940) was a long serving Australian Labor Party Member of the The White Australia policy is a term used to describe a collection of historical policies that intentionally restricted non-white Immigration to Australia from ^[3]

Kingston was Attorney-General 1884-85 in the government of John Colton and again in 1887-89 in the government of Tom Playford. Sir John Colton ( September 23 1823 - February 6 1902) was an Australian politician Premier of South Australia and philanthropist Thomas Playford ( 26 November 1837 - 19 April 1915) served as Premier of South Australia from June 11 1887 In 1893 he succeeded Playford as leader of the South Australian liberals and defeated conservative Premier John Downer to become Premier 1893-99, a record at the time of six and a half years, not to be broken until Thomas Playford IV, as well as Chief Secretary and Attorney-General, and also Minister for Industry 1895-99. Sir John William Downer, KCMG ( 6 July 1843 – 2 August 1915) was the Premier of South Australia from 16 June Sir Thomas Playford, GCMG (5 July 1896 – 16 June 1981 was a South Australian politician and a well known farmer Kingston came to office with the support of a new third party, the South Australian division of the Labor Party led by John McPherson, which held the balance of power. John Abel McPherson (28 January 1860 &ndash 13 December 1897 was the first leader of the South Australian division of the Australian Labor Party, then United Labor In Parliamentary politics the term balance of power sometimes describes the pragmatic mechanism exercised by a minor Political party or other grouping whose guaranteed A big, imposing man with a full beard, a booming voice and a violent, cutting debating style, Kingston dominated the small world of South Australian colonial politics in the 1890s. He was a great hero to liberals and working class voters, and much hated by conservatives. In 1892, Richard Baker called him a "coward, a bully and a disgrace to the legal profession" in the Legislative Council and Kingston replied by calling Baker "false as a friend, treacherous as a colleague, mendacious as a man, and utterly untrustworthy in every relationship of public life". Sir Richard Chaffey Baker KCMG ( 22 June 1842 &ndash 18 March 1911) was an Australian politician Kingston arranged for a duel but Baker had him arrested and as a result Kingston was bound over to keep the peace for a year. As practiced from the 11th to 20th centuries in Western societies a duel is an engagement in combat between two individuals with matched weapons in accordance with their combat ^[3]

Kingston had not supported votes for women at the 1893 elections but he was subsequently persuaded by his ministerial colleagues, John Cockburn and Frederick Holder of its political advantages and lobbied by the Woman's Christian Temperance Union. Dr John Alexander Cockburn KCMG ( 23 August 1850 &ndash 26 November 1929) was Premier of South Australia from (The Hon Sir Frederick William Holder KCMG ( 12 May 1850 - 23 July 1909) was the 19th Premier of South Australia In December 1894 his government became the first Australian to introduce adult suffrage. His government also established the state bank of South Australia, regulated factories, imposed death duties and increased land tax and progressive income taxes. ^[2][3]

Federation

A leading supporter of Federation, Kingston was a delegate to the Constitutional Conventions of 1891 and 1897-98 which worked to draft an Australian Constitution. The federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South In Australian history the term Constitutional Convention refers to four distinct gatherings The Constitution of Australia is the law under which the Australian Commonwealth Government operates In 1897 he travelled to London for the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria, where he was made a Privy Councillor and awarded an honorary Doctor of Civil Laws degree by Oxford University. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. A Diamond Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 60th Anniversary in the case of a person (e Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901 was from 20 June 1837 the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council is a body of advisors to the British Sovereign. Civil law or Romano-Germanic law or Continental law is the predominant system of law in the world. The University of Oxford (informally "Oxford University" or simply "Oxford" located in the city of Oxford, Oxfordshire, England is the He also turned down the offer of a knighthood, to the distress of his wife. While there he lobbied senior British politicians in favour of Australian federation. ^[3]

In 1899 Kingston's government was defeated in the House on a bill relating to the reform of the Legislative Council, leading to Kingston's resignation as Premier. Year 1899 ( MDCCCXCIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common By this time, however, he was more interested in federal politics, as the six Australian colonies moved towards federation. He was a leading figure in the popular movement for federation, and in 1900 he travelled to London with Edmund Barton and Alfred Deakin to oversee the passage of the federation bill through the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Year 1900 ( MCM) was an exceptional Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar Sir Edmund Barton, GCMG, QC (18 January 1849 – 7 January 1920 Australian politician and judge was the first Prime Minister of Australia and Alfred Deakin (3 August 1856 – 7 October 1919 Australian politician was a leader of the movement for Australian federation and later second Prime Minister The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories ^[3]

Charles Kingston (standing, second from right) as a member of the first federal Cabinet, January 1901

When the Constitution came into effect on 1 January 1901, Barton formed the first federal ministry, and Kingston was appointed Minister for Trade and Customs. The Barton Ministry was the first Australian Commonwealth ministry, and ran from 1 January 1901 to 24 September 1903. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 1901 ( MCMI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting The Australian Minister for Trade has been the Hon Simon Crean since December 2007 In March 1901 he was elected as one of South Australia's seven members of the first Australian House of Representatives. Year 1901 ( MCMI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting The House of Representatives is one of the two houses (chambers of the Parliament of Australia; it is the Lower house, the Upper house being the Senate (South Australia was not divided into electoral Divisions in time for the election, and Kingston topped the statewide poll with 65% of the vote. ) In 1903 he became the first member for the Division of Adelaide. Year 1903 ( MCMIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar or a Common year starting The Division of Adelaide is an Australian Electoral Division in South Australia. ^[3]

Kingston was a "high protectionist" - he favoured very high tariffs to protect Australia's fledgling manufacturing industries. For the protectionist Australian political party from the 1880s to 1909 see Protectionist Party For other uses of this word see Tariff (disambiguation. A tariff is a tax imposed on goods when they are moved across a political boundary Most of his time as minister was spent negotiating a customs bill through both houses of the Parliament, since no one party had a majority in either House and the forces of the Free Trade Party resisted his bill at every stage. The Free Trade Party (officially Australian Free Trade and Liberal Association) renamed in 1906 as the Anti-Socialist Party, was an Australian political Negotiating with his opponents was not among Kingston's many talents, and his bullying style made him many enemies. He also insisted on involving himself in the administrative details of his department and inisted on prosecutions of businesses to enforce his high-tariff policies. ^[3]

In July 1903 Kingston resigned suddenly in a fit of anger due to the opposition of John Forrest and Edmund Barton to his attempt to impose conciliation and arbitration on British and foreign seamen engaged in the Australian coastal trade. Year 1903 ( MCMIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar or a Common year starting Sir John Forrest GCMG (22 August 1847 – 2 September 1918 was an Australian explorer the first Premier of Western Australia and a cabinet minister in Australia Sir Edmund Barton, GCMG, QC (18 January 1849 – 7 January 1920 Australian politician and judge was the first Prime Minister of Australia and He never held office again, although Labor offered him a position in Chris Watson's ministry–he turned this down, presumably because of ill-health. John Christian Watson (9 April 1867 – 18 November 1941 commonly known as Chris Watson, Australian politician was the third Prime Minister of Australia He remained as Member for Adelaide until his sudden death in May 1908, being allowed to run unopposed at both the 1903 and 1906 elections. Year 1908 ( MCMVIII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Electorates Candidates were contesting 75 House of Representatives and 36 Senate seats a number unchanged from the 1901 election ^[2][3]

Kingston died in Adelaide of a stroke and was buried at the local West Terrace Cemetery, survived by his increasingly eccentric wife. A stroke is the rapidly developing loss of brain functions due to a disturbance in the blood vessels supplying blood to the brain West Terrace is a street in Adelaide, South Australia. It is the western-most street of the city's Central business district. ^[3] The Division of Kingston is named after him. The Division of Kingston is an Australian Electoral Division in South Australia covering the far-south metropolitan area of Adelaide.

Kingston's body was exhumed in March 2008 because two people thought they may be his direct descendants from an illegitimate child of his. Burial, also called interment and inhumation, is the act of placing a person or object into the ground ^[4] It is claimed that Kingston was ostracised by Adelaide society for his sexual indiscretions,^[5][6] having fathered at least six illegitimate children. ^[7][8]

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