State Government of New South Wales beginning 3 August 1894 - period in office of Premier Reid [premier], George Houston ending on 14 September 1899
Period in office of premier (see Glossary entry for 'period in office' and related terms)
Parliamentary support during period
Coalition partner 1
Number of ministers at beginning of period (this may vary during the period)
Assembly elections contested as premier or after which became premier (see Glossary entry for 'after election')
| Election | Premier at election | Premier's party | Premier after election | Premier's party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSW 27 July 1898 | George Houston Reid [premier] | Free Trade Party | George Houston Reid [premier] | Free Trade Party |
| NSW 24 July 1895 | George Houston Reid [premier] | Free Trade Party | George Houston Reid [premier] | Free Trade Party |
| NSW 17 July 1894 | George Richard Dibbs | Protectionist Party | George Houston Reid [premier] | Free Trade Party |
Previous period in this series for NSW | Next period in this series for NSW
Notes
Loss of election (Dibbs): Beginning of Reid's period in office; 'Following the July 1894 election which gave Free Trade an absolute majority in the Legislative Assembly, Dibbs resigned and Reid was commissioned to form a new government', Hughes and Graham, p. 59, (see 'Sources' below).
Defeat in parliament (Reid): Reid; 'Resigned after defeat in Legislative Assembly on censure motion', see Clune and Turner, vol. 1 table 3, pp. 228-229 (see 'Sources', below).
Reid went on to become prime minister of a Free Trade Party government in Canberra (see 'References', below), the first of only two premiers to move to federal politics and become prime minister. Reid held office as prime minister for 10 months in 1904-1905, but did not contest a federal election as prime minister. The other premier to become prime minister was Lyons, the premier of Tasmania in the 1920s who was prime minister of a United Australia Party government from 1932 to 1939, dying in office. Lyons is the only premier to become prime minister after winning a federal election.
References: For a description and analysis of the style of parliamentary government in this period see David Clune and Ken Turner, 'Introduction: The Colonial Premiers', pp. 1-12, in Clune and Turner vol. 1 (see, 'Sources', below).
For a survey of Reid's political career, see Michael Hogan, 'George (later Sir George) Houstoun Reid', in Clune and Turner, vol. 1, pp. 191-206 (see 'Sources', below), and W G McMinn, 'Reid, Sir George Houston (1845-1918)', in Geoffrey Searle (general editor) Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol. 11, pp. 347-354, (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1988, ISBN 0522843808).
Sources
David Clune and Ken Turner (editors), The Premiers of New South Wales, vol. 1, (1856-1901), (Sydney: Federation Press, 2006, ISBN 186287550); Colin A Hughes and B D Graham, A Handbook of Australian Government and Politics 1890-1964, pp. 57-85, (Canberra: Australian National University Press, 1968, SBN 708102700); New South Wales, Parliament, The New South Wales Parliamentary Record: Legislative Council and Legislative Assembly, 1824-1999, vol. VI, pp. 246-308, (Sydney: Parliament of New South Wales, 1999). In consulting these sources, note the difference between ministries and periods in office.