State Government of Tasmania beginning 20 December 1878 - period in office of Premier Crowther, William Lodewyk ending on 30 October 1879
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')
This premier did not win office as the result of an election, and was not (or has not been) in office long enough to contest an election as premier ; see 'Period in office' table above.
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Notes
Resignation of premier (Giblin): Beginning of Crowther's period in office: Without being able to make progress with the financial policies which he inherited from the Fysh government, Giblin resigned as Premier and Crowther was commissioned to form a government.
Premier in upper house: Crowther accepted his commission as Premier while a member of the Legislative Council. He was the sixth Tasmanian premier to hold the office while a member of the Legislative Council. His Colonial Secretary, Thomas Reiby, led for the government in the House of Assembly.
Resignation of premier (Crowther): When Crowther's Colonial Treasurer, David Lewis, proposed an income tax which was defeated, Crowther requested a dissolution of the House of Assembly. This request was refused by Governor Weld, and Crowther resigned as Premier; see Reynolds, p. 149, (see 'References', below), and Terry Newman, Sandstone and Statutes: A History of the Tasmanian Parliament, (in process).
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 Crowther's career, see W E L H Crowther, 'Crowther, William Lodewyk (1817 - 1885)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 3, pp 501-503, (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1969), on line at: http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A030469b.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).