Griffith, Samuel Walker
Personal
Birth Date:
21 June 1845 (Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorganshire)
Death Date:
9 August 1920 (Brisbane, Queensland)
Parents:
Edward Griffith and Mary (nee Walker)
Family:
Julia Janet Thomson at East Maitland on 5 July 1870, 2 sons, 4 daughters
Education:
Private school in Sydney; Maitland High School; Studied at University of Sydney (BA Hons, 1862; MA, 1870)
Religion:
Church of England
Career
Articled clerk to Arthur Macalister, 1863 to 1865; Awarded TS Mort travelling scholarship from the University of Sydney, 1865 to 1867; Admitted to Queensland Bar, 14 October 1867; Worked in legal business; Chief Justice of Queensland, 1893 to 1903; Lieutenant-Governor of Queensland, 1899 to 1903; Chief Justice of High Court of Australia, 1903 to 1919
Parliamentary Representation
| House | Party | Electorate | From | To | Elected/Departure Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assembly | NONE | East Moreton | 3 Apr 1872 | 25 Nov 1873 | |
| Assembly | NONE | Oxley | 25 Nov 1873 | 14 Nov 1878 | |
| Assembly | NONE | Brisbane | 15 Nov 1878 | 29 Apr 1893 |
Parliamentary Service
| Description | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Premier, Chief Secretary & Attorney-General | 12 Aug 1890 | 13 Mar 1893 |
| Colonial Treasurer | 17 Aug 1887 | 13 Jun 1888 |
| Chief Secretary | 1 Apr 1886 | 13 Jun 1888 |
| Postmaster-General | 17 Feb 1885 | 17 Mar 1885 |
| Premier and Colonial Secretary | 13 Nov 1883 | 1 Apr 1886 |
| Secretary, Public Instruction | 13 Nov 1883 | 3 Jan 1885 |
| Secretary, Public Works | 21 Sep 1878 | 21 Jan 1879 |
| Secretary, Public Instruction | 5 Jun 1876 | 21 Jan 1879 |
| Attorney-General | 3 Aug 1874 | 7 Dec 1878 |
Additional Information
Notes:
Griffith supported legal reform and was against squatter biased legislation. He also supported immigration from Europe, more money for public works, creating rural boards and municipal government. He also argued in debates that barristers should be separate and superior to solicitors; Griffith is noted for limiting Chinese migration, implementing free, compulsory and secular education, attempting to improve the rights of Indigenous people to give evidence and trying to establish a university in the colony; As Premier he further limited Asian migration, abolished the trade in Kanaka labour, recognised the fishing rights of Indigenous people, gave the state more control over charitable organisations, introduced probation for first-time offenders and opposed separatist movements; Following the recession of 1886, he started to support the labour movement. He then proceeded to legalise trade unions. He introduced a bill proposing eight hour working days. Griffith is noted for codifying the criminal law in Queensland in 1899; appointed to the Privy Council in 1901. Griffith was prominent in the early moves towards Federation and was fundamental in the drafting of the Australian Constitution.
C Holmes 2020, ‘Sir Samuel Griffith: the politician’, Webinar to mark the 100th Anniversary of Sir Samuel Griffith’s passing, Supreme Court Library, Queensland, 11 August 2020.
Sources:
Image courtesy of John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland, 1878, Neg: 68342 ; Waterson, DB, A Biographical Register of the Queensland Parliament: 1860-1929, 2nd revised edition (Sydney: Casket Publications, 2001); Joyce, RB, 'Griffith, Sir Samuel Walker (1845-1920)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, V.9, Melbourne University Press, 1983, pp 112-119.
[Last Modified: Friday, 11 September 2020]