Sir Arthur Morgan (1856–1916) was an Australian politician who was

Premier of Queensland The premier of Queensland is the head of government in the Australian state of Queensland. By convention the premier is the leader of the party with a parliamentary majority in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland. The premier is appointed ...

from 1903 to 1906.

Early life

Morgan was born in

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon, Warwickshire, River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined wit ...

Colony of New South Wales The Colony of New South Wales was a colony of the British Empire from 1788 to 1901, when it became a State of the Commonwealth of Australia. At its greatest extent, the colony of New South Wales included the present-day Australian states of New ...

, the fourth son of James Morgan, who later represented

in the

Legislative Assembly of Queensland 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 ...

and became the chairman of committees, and his wife Kate (''née'' Barton). Morgan was educated at a public school at Warwick and then joined the staff of the Warwick ''Argus'', which was owned and edited by his father. Morgan married Alice Augusta Clinton, daughter of H. E. Clinton, on 26 July 1880.

Career

Morgan became a member of the Warwick Municipal Council in 1885 and served as mayor since 1886–1890 and again in 1898. In 1887 he was elected a member 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 ...

for the district of

, and held this seat until 1896. In 1899, he was re-elected to this seat, and in that same year was chosen as the

Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland The speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland is elected by the Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly, members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly to preside over sittings of the Assembly and to maintain orderly proceedings. T ...

. In 1903, businessman and politician

Robert Philp Sir Robert Philp, (28 December 1851 – 17 June 1922) was a Queensland businessman and politician who was Premier of Queensland from December 1899 to September 1903 and again from November 1907 to February 1908. Early life Philp was born in G ...

resigned as Premier of Queensland on account of defections from his party, and the leader of the Labor party being unable to form a ministry. Morgan was asked to lead a combination of a group of liberals and the labour party. He later resigned the speakership, and went on to form a ministry. After that, he held the positions of the premier, chief secretary, secretary for railways, and vice-president of the executive council. Morgan's policy of retrenchment made him unpopular, and his alliance with the labour party was seen as questionable by his former associates. In January 1906, after the death of Sir Hugh Nelson, Morgan was appointed as president of the

Queensland Legislative Council Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, ...

and was acting-governor on two occasions. In 1908 he was appointed to the seat of

Lieutenant-Governor of Queensland The governor of Queensland is the representative of the monarch, currently King Charles III, in the state of Queensland. In an analogous way to the governor-general at the national level, the governor performs constitutional and ceremonial func ...

. He published a manuscript in 1902 entitled ''Discovery and Development of the Downs'', and was knighted in 1907.

Later life

In his later years, Morgan's health began to fail, and he died on 20 December 1916. Morgan was survived by his wife, five sons and three daughters.

References

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External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, Arthur 1856 births 1916 deaths Premiers of Queensland Australian Knights Bachelor Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly Members of the Queensland Legislative Council Burials at Toowong Cemetery Presidents of the Queensland Legislative Council Speakers of the Queensland Legislative Assembly Colony of Queensland people