Arthur Macalister, (18 January 1818 – 23 March 1883) was three times Premier of

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 , established_ ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Early life

Macalister was born in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, son of John Macalister, a cabinet maker, and his wife Mary, ''née'' Scoullar. Macalister was educated in Glasgow and emigrated to Australia with his wife Elizabeth Wallace ''née'' Tassie. They arrived in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

on 28 September 1839 on the ''Abbotsford''. Macalister was appointed to the positions of clerk of Petty Sessions and postmaster at

Scone, New South Wales Scone is a town in the Upper Hunter Shire in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. At the 2006 census, Scone had a population of 5,624 people. It is on the New England Highway north of Muswellbrook about 270 kilometres north of Sydn ...

in June 1840. In 1846 he was working for a solicitor in Sydney. In 1850 he was admitted as a solicitor and attorney.

Political career

Macalister then settled in the

Moreton Bay Moreton Bay is a bay located on the eastern coast of Australia from central Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources. The waters of Moreton Bay are a popular destination for recreational anglers and are ...

district, then part 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 ...

. Macalister took part in the movement for separation, and was elected a representative for

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...

in the

New South Wales parliament The Parliament of New South Wales is a bicameral legislature in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW), consisting of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly (lower house) and the New South Wales Legislative Council (upper house). Each ...

on 14 June 1859. In 1859, the colony of Queensland was separated from New South Wales and Macalister was elected to the first parliament as member for his old district and was made chairman of committees. In March 1862 he joined the

Herbert Herbert may refer to: People Individuals * Herbert (musician), a pseudonym of Matthew Herbert Name * Herbert (given name) * Herbert (surname) Places Antarctica * Herbert Mountains, Coats Land * Herbert Sound, Graham Land Australia * Herbert ...

ministry as Secretary for Public Lands and Works, and when Herbert resigned on 1 February 1866, became Premier. Macalister's ministry only lasted until 20 July 1866, when he resigned owing to the Governor, Sir George Bowen, refusing to sanction a proposed issue of "inconvertible government notes". Bowen called on Herbert to form a new ministry which immediately carried an act authorizing the issue of exchequer bills. This carried the colony through a financial crisis caused by the failure of the

Agra and Masterman's Bank The Agra Bank was founded in 1833 in Agra in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh with a capital of £1,000,000. It was liquidated in 1900.Stuart Muirhead, Edwin Green. ''Crisis Banking in the East'', Ashgate Publishing, 1996 Agra Bank By 1840 its ...

, which had arranged a loan for railway extensions. Herbert had to leave for England almost at once, a reconstruction of the ministry was made, and Macalister again became Premier on 7 August 1866. He resigned a year later and was again elected Chairman of Committees. When

Charles Lilley Sir Charles Lilley (27 August 1827 – 20 August 1897) was a Premier and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Queensland. He had a significant influence on the form and spirit of state education in colonial Queensland which lasted well into the ...

became Premier in November 1868, Macalister took office as Secretary for Public Lands and Works, and for the goldfields. This ministry resigned in May 1870 and, in November, Macalister was elected

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** I ...

. Macalister lost his seat after a hectic campaign in June 1871 but was re-elected for Ipswich in 1872 in a by-election. Macalister formed his third ministry in January 1874 and resigned in June 1876 to become Agent-General for Queensland in London.

Later life

Macalister's health was failing in 1881 and he resigned his office as Agent-General; he was granted a pension of £500 a year by the Queensland parliament. He was created

Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...

in 1876. Macalister died near Glasgow on 23 March 1883 at the age of 65. He was survived by his wife, who died 14 September 1894.

Family

Macalister married Elizabeth Wallace Tassie in Edinburgh, Scotland with whom he had 9 children.

Legacy

A number of street names in the

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

suburb of Carina Heights are identical to the surnames of former Members 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 ...

. One of these is Macalister Street. The

electoral district of Macalister Macalister is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Queensland. It was created in the 2017 redistribution, and was first contested at the 2017 Queensland state election. It is named after the second Queen ...

created in the 2017 Queensland state electoral redistribution was named after him. The Macalister Range along the Far North Queensland coast between

Cairns Cairns (, ) is a city in Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. The population in June 2019 was 153,952, having grown on average 1.02% annually over the preceding five years. The city is the 5th-most-p ...

and

Port Douglas Port Douglas is a coastal town and locality in the Shire of Douglas, Queensland, Australia, approximately 60 km north of Cairns. In the , Port Douglas had a population of 3,504 people. The town's population can often double, however, with the in ...

was named in honour of the Premier by George Augustus Frederick Elphinstone Dalrymple during the 1873 ‘Queensland North East Coast Expedition’.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Macalister, Arthur 1818 births 1883 deaths Premiers of Queensland Australian Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Scottish emigrants to colonial Australia Lawyers from Glasgow Speakers of the Queensland Legislative Assembly 19th-century Australian politicians Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly