James Francis Garrick Explained

Honorific-Prefix:The Honourable
Sir James Francis Garrick
Order1:13th
Office1:Treasurer of Queensland
Term Start1:13 November 1883
Term End1:31 December 1883
Predecessor1:Archibald Archer
Successor1:James Dickson
Constituency1:Queensland Legislative Council
Constituency Am2:East Moreton
Assembly2:Queensland
Term Start2:1 July 1867
Term End2:28 September 1868
Predecessor2:Robert Cribb
Successor2:John Douglas
Alongside2:Arthur Francis
Term Start3:10 May 1877
Term End3:19 November 1878
Predecessor3:William Fryar
Successor3:Seat abolished
Constituency Am4:Moreton
Assembly4:Queensland
Term Start4:19 November 1878
Term End4:13 November 1883
Predecessor4:New seat
Successor4:Thomas Macdonald-Paterson
Office5:Member of the Queensland Legislative Council
Term Start5:13 November 1869
Term End5:8 December 1870
Term Start6:13 November 1883
Term End6:28 August 1894
Birth Date:10 January 1836
Birth Place:Sydney, Australia
Death Place:London, England
Spouse:Catherine Cadell
Relations:Francis James Garrick (brother)
Joseph Garrick (brother)
Alma Mater:Sydney College
Occupation:Barrister, Agent-General, Judge, Solicitor

Sir James Francis Garrick,, (10 January 1836 – 12 January 1907), was a politician and agent-general from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In his later years, he lived in London.

Early years

Garrick was the second oldest of ten children of James Francis Garrick (b. 1803 in Deptford, Kent, England; d. 1874 in Sydney) and Catherine Eliza Garrick (née Branson, b. 1811 in Gibraltar; d. 1900 in Woollahra, Australia). His parents were married on 10 June 1832 in St Martin-in-the-Fields, Surrey, England. They subsequently emigrated to Sydney to manage a flour milling business.[1] [2]

Garrick was born in Sydney, New South Wales, on 10 January 1836. He was educated at Sydney College. He married Catherine Garrick (née Cadell) on 3 January 1865.

Legal career

Both Garrick and his older brother Francis James (born 1833) were sent to Sydney solicitors to learn the legal trade. The younger brother was admitted to the New South Wales' bar in 1860.[3]

James Francis moved to Brisbane in 1861 where only four attorneys were in practice at that time, whilst Francis James emigrated to New Zealand in February 1864.

Soon after his appointment to the Queensland Legislative Council in 1869, he went to London, where he continued with legal studies and work, and was admitted to the bar in 1873. He returned to Brisbane in 1874, where he was also admitted to the bar. He worked as a crown prosecutor in various districts and was appointed Queen's Counsel (QC) in 1882.

Political career

Garrick was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Queensland (lower house) for the 1867–68 period, representing the East Moreton electorate. In November 1869, he was then appointed to the Queensland Legislative Council (upper house). He went to London soon after, though, and his seat was declared vacant in December 1870 after him missing two sessions.

He represented East Moreton again in 1877–1878, and after East Moreton was abolished, represented Moreton 1878–1883.[4] He was appointed Attorney-General in the Douglas ministry for a short period before the premiership went to Thomas McIlwraith in January 1879. He was an important member of the opposition led by Samuel Griffith. When Griffith took over the premiership in 1883, Garrick was appointed colonial treasurer for a brief period, before taking on the role as postmaster-general, a role that he held until 24 June 1884. Garrick was also appointed again to the Legislative Council, a role that he held from Nov 1883 to August 1894, but for most of the time he was actually in London.

In June 1884, Garrick was appointed as the 5th agent-general for immigration in London. He held this post, with some interruption from 1888 to 1890, until 1895. He was successful of sending many immigrants to Queensland; in his first term, he averaged 10,000 per year.

Later life and commemoration

Garrick remained in London until his death on 12 January 1907. He was survived by his wife and three children; Katherine Cecie Garrick, James Cadell Garrick and Francis Cadell Garrick.

Garrick was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in 1885,[5] and Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in 1886.[6]

Garrick's daughter Katherine endowed through her November 1916 will the James Francis Garrick chair of law at the University of Queensland in the memory of her father. The university's senate decided in 1923 on a chair in law, in the faculty of arts, to be called the "James Francis Garrick Professorship of Law". The chair is still in use at the TC Beirne School of Law.[7]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Family Group Record. International Genealogical Index. 5 March 2010.
  2. News: FRANCIS JAMES GARRICK (obituary). 9 June 1890. The Star. 4.
  3. Book: Johnston , W. Ross . Australian Dictionary of Biography . Melbourne University Press . 1972 . 4 . 235–236 . Garrick, Sir James Francis (1836–1907) . 30 January 2014.
  4. 27 April 2020.
  5. 6 June 1885 . London Gazette . 25477 . 2632 . Gazette Issue 25477 published on the 6 June 1885. Page 2 of 2. 30 January 2014 .
  6. 6 June 1885 . London Gazette . 25602 . 3082 . Gazette Issue 25602 published on the 28 June 1886. Page 2 of 2. 30 January 2014 .
  7. Web site: History of the Garrick Chair at the TC Beirne School of Law . White . Michael . 8 December 2005 . TC Beirne School of Law . 10 March 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100131011555/http://www.law.uq.edu.au/history-of-the-garrick-chair-tc . 31 January 2010 .