State Government of Tasmania beginning 1 November 1860 - period in office of Premier Weston, William Pritchard ending on 2 August 1861
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TAS 29 May 1861 | William Pritchard Weston | Support from parliamentary factions and independents | Thomas Daniel Chapman | Support from parliamentary factions and independents |
Previous period in this series for TAS | Next period in this series for TAS
Notes
Resignation of premier (Smith): Beginning of Weston's second period in office: Smith resigned as Premier in November 1860 and accepted a position as a judge of the Tasmanian Supreme Court, leaving Weston to lead 'another stop-gap government', Reynolds, p. 119, (see 'References', below).
Premier in upper house: Weston accepted his second commission as Premier while a member of the Legislative Council. He was the first of several Tasmanian premiers to hold the office while a member of the Legislative Council. Weston had been a member of the House of Assembly during his first period in office as Premier but resigned from the Assembly in May 1857 and was elected unopposed to the Legislative Council in the same month. The Colonial Treasurer, Frederick Maitland Innes led for the government in the House of Assembly.
Resignation of premier (Weston): 'Weston's ill health .... caused him to resign and move to Victoria', Newman, p. 13, (see 'References', below).
References: For a description of the style of parliamentary government in this period, see John Reynolds, 'Premiers and Political Leaders', in F C Green (editor), Tasmania: A Century of Responsible Government 1856-1956, pp 115-192, (Hobart: L G Shea, Government Printer, [1956]), and note Terry Newman, Tasmanian Premiers 1856-1988: A Biographical Handbook, (Hobart: Tasmanian Parliamentary Library, [1988]).
For a survey of Weston's career, see J N D Harrison, 'Weston, William Pritchard (1804-1888)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 2, pp 593-594, (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1967), on line at: http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A020535b.htm.
Sources
'Ministries: Names of the Members of Successive Ministries which have held Office in Tasmania since the inauguration of Responsible Government, together with the Dates of Appointment and Retirement', Journal of House of Assembly, Second Session of the Forty-Fifth Parliament of Tasmania, Anno LIII and LV Eliz II; Session 2 of the 45th Parliament, Volume 251, 2004-2006, (Hobart: Government Printer, Tasmania).