George Leake

George Leake

George Leake (born December 3, 1856 in Perth in the British colony of Western Australia , † June 24, 1902 in Perth) was a lawyer and Prime Minister in Western Australia from May 27, 1901 to November 21, 1901 and again from May 23 , 1902 . December 1901 until his death on June 24, 1902.

Early years

Leake attended the Church of England Collegiate School (now Hale School) and St. Peter's College in Adelaide . He studied law and in 1880 was admitted to the Western Australian court and became a partner in his father's law firm. The following year he married Lousa Emily Burt. In 1883 he was appointed lawyer and public prosecutor. Leake was also very interested in gold mining and was a member of the syndicate that Harry Anstey successfully sent out in 1887 to find gold in the Yilgarn region .

Career

In September 1886 he was appointed Attorney General of Western Australia and nominated to the Legislative Council of the Western Australian Council, in which position he remained until December. On November 28, 1890 Leake was elected unanimously to the Western Australian Legislative Assembly in the constituency of Roebourne . He was offered a position in the Ministry of John Forrest , but he declined.

Leake was elected to the Albany Legislative Assembly on June 23, 1894, and was elected opposition leader in Western Australia the following year. He was an enthusiastic supporter of a federation of Australia of which he was president. In 1897 he was elected to the West Australian delegation to the Federal Convention and he attended meetings in Adelaide , Sydney and Melbourne . He became a Queen's Counsel in 1898.

On August 2, 1900, he traveled to Europe for business reasons. Upon his return he was elected to the West Perth constituency on April 24, 1901. Neither party managed to win the election clearly and Prime Minister George Throssell abdicated before parliament met. The leader of the opposition, Frederick Illingworth , was tasked with forming a government, but was unable to do so because Leake refused to obey him. Eventually it was agreed that Leake would be Prime Minister and Illingworth Treasurer and Colonial Secretary. Leake became Prime Minister and Attorney General on May 27.

Leake's government did not have the support of a majority in parliament, but he was able to rule for five months until he lost in November. After him, Alf Morgans formed the government, but Leake's supporters opposed Morgan's cabinet, so three of the six ministers resigned. Morgan resigned. Leake was again prime minister and attorney general on December 23, 1901 and had ultimately created clear political relationships.

Leake developed pneumonia in June 1902 and died on June 24, 1902. Two days later, the Times published that King Edward VII had posthumously appointed him Compagnion des Order of St. Michael and St. George (CMG).

literature

• Reid, Gordon Stanley and Oliver, Margaret Ruth: The Premiers of Western Australia 1890–1982 . University of Western Australia Press, Nedlands, Western Australia 1982, ISBN 0-85564-214-9 .
• Georg Leake on gutenberg.net.au
• The Constitution Center of Western Australia: Governors and Premiers of Western Australia . The Constitution Center of Western Australia, West Perth, Western Australia 2002, ISBN 0-7307-3821-3 .
• Chapman, Jenny (1965) Perserverando: the Leake family in the political, economic and social life of WA, 1829-1902, with particular reference to George Leake (1786-1849), Sir Luke Samuel Leake (1828-1886), and George Leake (1856-1902) (Battye Library).

Individual evidence

1. ↑ It's an Honor: CMG 26 June 1902