James Drake (politician)
James Drake | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Attorney-General of Australia | |
| In office 24 September 1903 – 27 April 1904 | |
| Prime Minister | Alfred Deakin |
| Preceded by | Alfred Deakin |
| Succeeded by | H. B. Higgins |
| Minister for Defence | |
| In office 10 August 1903 – 24 September 1903 | |
| Prime Minister | Edmund Barton |
| Preceded by | John Forrest |
| Succeeded by | Austin Chapman |
| Postmaster-General of Australia | |
| In office 5 February 1901 – 10 August 1903 | |
| Prime Minister | Edmund Barton |
| Preceded by | John Forrest |
| Succeeded by | Philip Fysh |
| Senator for Queensland | |
| In office 30 March 1901 – 31 December 1906 | |
| Member of the Queensland Legislative Council | |
| In office 17 December 1899 – 13 May 1901 | |
| Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Enoggera | |
| In office 12 May 1888 – 7 December 1899 | |
| Preceded by | James Dickson |
| Succeeded by | Matthew Reid |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James George Drake 26 April 1850 London, England |
| Died | 1 August 1941 (aged 91) Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Resting place | Toowong Cemetery |
| Nationality | English Australian |
| Political party | Protectionist Party |
| Other political affiliations | Opposition (Queensland) |
| Spouse |
Mary Street (m. 1897–1924) |
| Occupation | Barrister, Journalist, Politician, Crown Prosecutor, Judge |
James George Drake (26 April 1850 – 1 August 1941) was an Australian politician. After a number of years in Queensland colonial politics, he was elected to the Senate at the first federal election in 1901. He subsequently held ministerial office under prime ministers Edmund Barton, Alfred Deakin, and George Reid, serving as Postmaster-General (1901–1903), Minister for Defence (1903), Attorney-General (1903–1904), and Vice-President of the Executive Council (1904–1905).
Early life, education, and early career
Drake was born in London and educated at King's College School, and migrated to Australia in 1873, working as a storekeeper and journalist in Queensland. He became a shorthand reporter for the Parliament of Queensland in 1876 until he was admitted as a barrister in 1882.
Military service
Drake was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Queeensland Defence Force in 1886, and promoted to captain in 1888 and major in 1900.[1][2][3]
Colonial politics
A Protectionist, he was a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland for the Electoral district of Enoggera from 12 May 1888 to 7 December 1899. Following his period as an elected representative, he was appointed a life Member of the Legislative Council of Queensland on 7 December 1899, during which he was Postmaster-General and Secretary for Public Instruction in Queensland. Although membership of the Legislative Council was a life appointment, he resigned on 13 May 1901 in order to pursue a career in newly established federal parliament.[4][5]
Federal politics
Drake was an early and energetic supporter of Australia. He was elected to the Australian Senate in 1901 as a Senator for Queensland. He was Postmaster-General 1901–03 in the ministry of Edmund Barton. He was Minister for Defence 1903, Attorney General 1903–04 and Vice-President of the Executive Council 1904–05. He was left out of Alfred Deakin's second ministry and retired from parliament in 1906.[4]
Drake was a strong supporter of the White Australia policy. Days before the 1903 federal election, in response to the Petriana affair, he stated that its provisions should even extend to shipwrecked sailors. The Argus reported he had told an election meeting in Sydney:[6]
It was undesirable that educated gentlemen who had been in gaol, or coloured men who had been shipwrecked, should land in Australia in defiance of the law. They intended to keep their race pure, and make Australia a place worth living in.
Later life
Drake stood for the Queensland state seat of North Brisbane in 1907, but only gained 137 votes.[4] He was state crown prosecutor from 1910 to 1920 and in 1912 was appointed Acting Deputy Judge of the District Court of Queensland.[7]
Death
He died in Brisbane Hospital and was buried in Toowong Cemetery.[8] He was the last surviving member of the Barton, Reid and the first Deakin Cabinet. Drake was survived by four children from his marriage to Mary Street in 1897.[4]
References
- ^ "Commission of Appointment - Lieutenant, Land Defence Force - James George Drake, Queensland State Archives Item ID2765941, Letters patent".
- ^ "Commission of Appointment - Captain in the Land Defence Force - James George Drake, Queensland State Archives Item ID2765941, Letters patent".
- ^ "Commission of Appointment - Major, Unattached List, Land Defence Force - James George Drake, Queensland State Archives Item ID2767604, Letters patent".
- ^ a b c d Gibbney, H. J. (1981). "Drake, James George (1850–1941)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 19 October 2007.
- ^ "Former Members Register". Queensland Parliament. Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 31 December 2012.
- ^ Foster, Leonie (2014). "Shipwrecks and the White Australia policy". The Great Circle. 36 (2). The Australian Association for Maritime History: 74.
{{cite journal}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - ^ "Instrument of Appointment - Acting Deputy Judge, District Courts - James George Drake, Queensland State Archives Item ID2768641, Letters patent".
- ^ Drake James George Archived 8 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine – Brisbane City Council Grave Location Search. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
External links
Barton Cabinet (1901–03) | ||
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Prime Minister: Edmund Barton | ||
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First Deakin Cabinet (1903–04) | ||
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Prime Minister: Alfred Deakin | ||
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- People educated at King's College School, London
- Members of the Cabinet of Australia
- Members of the Australian Senate for Queensland
- Members of the Australian Senate
- Protectionist Party members of the Parliament of Australia
- Attorneys-General for Australia
- 1850 births
- 1941 deaths
- Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly
- Burials at Toowong Cemetery
- Members of the Queensland Legislative Council
- Guggenheim Fellows
- Defence ministers of Australia
- 20th-century Australian politicians
- English emigrants to colonial Australia
- Judges of the District Court of Queensland
- 20th-century Australian judges