Albert Norton (1 January 1836 – 11 March 1914) was a

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

, Speaker of the

Queensland Legislative Assembly The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembly h ...

and pastoralist.

Early life

Norton was the sixth son of James Norton, born at the family home, "Elswick" now Leichhardt, New South Wales. He was educated at the Rev. F. Wilkinson's school at Sydney, and from 1852 to 1857 was gaining experience on stations in the

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...

district of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. During the next three years he had a wandering life in New South Wales and

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, but in 1860 bought the Rodd's Bay station in the Port Curtis District, Queensland. He specialised in cattle, and in spite of some bad experiences with drought and disease, became a successful pastoralist.

Politics

In 1866 he stood for the Port Curtis seat in the Legislative Assembly but was defeated, and in the following year was nominated to the Legislative Council. He resigned his seat in 1868 and did not attempt to enter politics again until in 1878, having previously retired from his station, he was elected unopposed for Port Curtis. In March 1883, on the resignation of

John Murtagh Macrossan John Murtagh Macrossan (1832 – 30 March 1891) was an Australian politician of the late 19th century in the parliament of Queensland. Early and parliamentary life Macrossan was born in Donegal, Ireland. He moved to the colony of Victoria a ...

, Norton accepted office as Minister for Works and Mines in the First McIlwraith Ministry. In 1888 Norton was unanimously elected speaker of the legislative assembly. He lost his seat at the 1893 election, and in 1894 was nominated as a member of the Legislative Council, a lifetime appointment. Norton was chairman of committee from 1902 to 1907 and continued to be an active member of the house until a few months before his death. Norton had been much interested in the welfare of the

mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic ...

industry, he encouraged the giving of lectures in mineralogy, and was primarily responsible for the establishment of the school of mines. He was a trustee of the

Royal Society of Queensland The Royal Society of Queensland was formed in Queensland, Australia in 1884 from the Queensland Philosophical Society, Queensland's oldest scientific institution, with royal patronage granted in 1885. The aim of the Society is "Progressing scie ...

, and contributed about a dozen papers to its ''Proceedings''. His political speeches were always carefully prepared but the effect was to some extent spoiled by a monotonous delivery.

Later life

Norton died on 11 March 1914 at Milton in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

References

External links

Norton Albert
— Brisbane City Council Grave Location Search {{DEFAULTSORT:Norton, Albert 1836 births 1914 deaths Members of the Queensland Legislative Council Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly Burials at Toowong Cemetery Speakers of the Queensland Legislative Assembly Royal Society of Queensland