Edward Braddon
Rt Hon Sir
Edward Nicholas Coventry Braddon PC KCMG (
11 June 1829 â€"
2 February 1904),
Australian
politician, was the
Premier of Tasmania from
1894 to
1899, and was a Member of the First Australian Parliament in the
House of Representatives. Braddon was a Tasmanian
delegate to the Constitutional Conventions.
Both the
suburb of
Braddon in the
Australian Capital Territory and the
Division of Braddon in Tasmania are named after him.
Braddon was born in
Cornwall in 1829, the son of unsuccessful
solicitor Henry Braddon and his wife Fanny White. He had two sisters, one of whom,
Mary Elizabeth Braddon, was later a famous
novelist. Braddon was educated at various private schools including
University College School, and later at
University College London.
Henry and Fanny separated in
1840, due to Henry's financial failures, and in
1847, Braddon left for
India to take a job with his
cousin's merchant business. He later joined the Indian civil service, rising to the position of assistant commissioner, and serving as Inspector-General of Registration and Commissioner of Excise and Stamps.
In
1857, Braddon married Amy Palmer, and together they had two sons and four daughters. One of these sons was Sir
Henry Yule Braddon, who was later a Commissioner (
ambassador) for Australia in the
United States. Braddon subsequently married Alice Smith in
1876, who survived him.
During the
Indian rebellion of 1857, Braddon fought as a
volunteer on behalf of the
British forces. In
1872, Braddon wrote a
memoir detailing his experiences in India, entitled
Life in India. He left the Indian civil service in
1878 and
retired to Tasmania.
Tasmanian career
In
1879, Braddon was elected to the
Tasmanian House of Assembly in the Division of West Devon, and he represented that constituency until November
1888. He became
leader of the opposition in
1886 and after the defeat of the
James Agnew government, he was asked to form a
cabinet. However, he resigned the
premiership to
Philip Fysh, and instead became Minister for Lands and Works.
In
1888, Braddon represented Tasmania on the Federal Council, the predecessor to the
Constitutional Conventions of the
1890s. After leaving parliament in
1888, Braddon was appointed Agent-General for Tasmania in
London, a position he held until September
1893.
After returning to Tasmania, Braddon was again elected the member for West Devon, and again became opposition leader. In April
1894, Braddon became Premier, and held office until
12 October 1899, the longest term of any Premier up to that date.
In
1895, Braddon published another volume of memoirs, entitled
Thirty Years of Shikar.
Federal career
Braddon was an important proponent of
federation in Tasmania. He was elected as one of the Tasmanian representatives to the
Constitutional Convention of
1897.
At the Convention, he was responsible for the so-called "Braddon Clause" (or "Braddon Blot", as it was known by its opponents). The proposed Constitution provided that the Federal Government would assume the power to levy
customs duties, an important source of revenue for the states. The Braddon Clause provided that the Commonwealth would have to return at least three quarters of all duties collected.
After fierce debate, during which
George Reid threatened to withdraw
New South Wales from the Convention, the Clause was limited in operation to ten years after Federation. The now-defunct Clause is still part of the
Constitution of Australia as
Section 87, however it was superseded by the
Surplus Revenue Act 1910.
At the
federal election of
1901, Braddon was elected to the First Australian Parliament as the Member for the
Division of Wilmot. As a supporter of
free trade, he joined with Rt Hon Sir George Reid and became a member of the
Free Trade Party, where he would occasionally stand as Leader of the Opposition when Reid was absent. Braddon was re-elected at the
federal election of
1903, but he died suddenly at his home in Tasmania in
1904 before the
Parliament returned from
recess.
Braddon is buried at Pioneer Cemetery in
Forth, Tasmania. In February
2004, his grave was restored and a lookout constructed nearby in order to commemorate the centenary of his death.
In
1891, Braddon was made a Knight Commander of the
Order of St Michael and St George. In
1897 he was made a member of the
Privy Council.
*
Members of the Australian House of Representatives, 1901-1903*
Members of the Australian House of Representatives, 1903-1906* Tasmanian Bicentenary Office â€"
200 Footprints*
Tasmanian Parliamentary Library profile
