Donaldson ministry

The Donaldson ministry was the first ministry of the Colony of New South Wales, and was led by Stuart Donaldson. Despite the first free elections for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly being held in March 1856, it took over two months for Donaldson to form Government. It was sworn in on 6 June 1856, after the 1856 election and lasted just eighty days.[1]

Donaldson ministry
First ministry of the Colony of New South Wales
Premier Stuart Donaldson and the Colony of New South Wales (1856–1859)
Date formed	6 June 1856
Date dissolved	25 August 1856
People and organisations
Head of state	Queen Victoria (represented by William Denison)
Head of government	Stuart Donaldson
No. of ministers	6
Member party	unaligned
Status in legislature	Minority government
Opposition party	unaligned
Opposition leader	Charles Cowper
History
Election(s)	1856
Successor	First Cowper ministry

The title of Premier was widely used to refer to the Leader of Government, but not enshrined in formal use until 1920.

There was no party system in New South Wales politics until 1887. Under the constitution, ministers were required to resign to recontest their seats in a by-election when appointed.[2] Stuart Donaldson comfortably won the by election for Sydney Hamlets,[3] and John Darvall comfortably won the by-election for Cumberland North Riding.[4] Thomas Holt (Stanley Boroughs)[5] and Bob Nichols (Northumberland Boroughs)[6] were re-elected unopposed. William Manning was not required to resign as he held the office of Solicitor-General at the time of his election.[7]

This ministry covers the period from 6 June 1856 until on 25 August 1856, when Donaldson resigned his commission, having lost the confidence of the Assembly.[8]

Composition of ministry

Portfolio	Minister	Term start	Term end	Term length
Premier Colonial Secretary	Stuart Donaldson MLA	6 June 1856	25 August 1856	80 days
Colonial Treasurer	Thomas Holt MLA
Attorney General	William Manning MLA
Solicitor General	John Darvall MLA
Auditor-General Secretary for Lands and Works	Bob Nichols MLA
Representative of the Government in the Legislative Council [lower-alpha 1]	William Mayne MLC	6 August 1856		19 days

1. A member of the government without a seat in the Cabinet.[9]

1 2 3 4 5

1 Thomas Holt (Treasurer) 2 William M. Manning (Attorney-General) 3 Stuart Donaldson (Premier) 4 John Darvall (Solicitor-General) 5 Bob Nichols (Auditor-General)

Executive Council of New South Wales, 1856, photographed by Freeman Brothers

See also

• Self-government in New South Wales
• Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, 1856–1858

References

1. "Part 6 Ministries since 1856" (PDF). NSW Parliamentary Record. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
2. Twomey, Anne (2004). The Constitution of New South Wales. Federation Press. pp. 442. ISBN 9781862875166.
3. Green, Antony. "1856 Sydney Hamlets by-election". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
4. Green, Antony. "1856 Cumberland (North Riding) by-election". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
5. Green, Antony. "1856 Stanley Boroughs by-election". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
6. Green, Antony. "1856 Northumberland Boroughs by-election". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
7. Green, Antony. "1856 Cumberland South Riding". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
8. Draper, Sandra. "Donaldson, Sir Stuart Alexander (1812–1867)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Melbourne University Press. ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 19 November 2020 – via National Centre of Biography, Australian National University.
9. "Legislative Council". The Sydney Morning Herald. 21 August 1856. p. 5. Retrieved 19 January 2021 – via Trove.