The First McIlwraith Ministry was a ministry of the Government of Queensland and was led by Premier Thomas McIlwraith. It succeeded the Douglas Ministry on 21 January 1879 after the latter lost a vote of no confidence in Parliament after the 1878 election. It was in turn succeeded by the First Griffith Ministry on 13 November 1883 after losing the 1883 election.
On 21 January 1879, the Governor, Sir Arthur Edward Kennedy, designated 6 principal executive offices of the Government, and appointed the following Members of the Parliament of Queensland to the Ministry as follows:
| Office | Minister | |
|---|---|---|
| Premier Colonial Treasurer (until 24 December 1881) Colonial Secretary (from 24 December 1881) | Thomas McIlwraith, MLA | |
| Colonial Secretary Secretary for Public Instruction | Arthur Hunter Palmer, MLA (until 24 December 1881) | |
| Colonial Treasurer Secretary for Public Instruction | Archibald Archer, MLA (from 5 January 1882) | |
| Secretary for Public Works Secretary for Mines | John Murtagh Macrossan, MLA (until 13 March 1883) Albert Norton, MLA (from 13 March 1883) | |
| Attorney-General | John Malbon Thompson, MLA (until 16 May 1879) Ratcliff Pring, MLA (16 May 1879 — 4 June 1880) Henry Beor, MLA (4 June 1880 — 25 December 1880) Pope Alexander Cooper, MLA (31 December 1880 — 5 January 1883) Charles Chubb, MLA (from 5 January 1883) | |
| Secretary for Public Lands | Patrick Perkins, MLA | |
| Postmaster-General Representative of Government in the Legislative Council | Charles Hardie Buzacott, MLC (until 17 December 1880) Boyd Dunlop Morehead, MLC (from 17 December 1880) |
Macrossan did not hold a seat at the time of his appointment; however, the member for Electoral district of Townsville resigned and Macrossan was seated in the Assembly on 4 March 1879.
Pring lost his seat at a ministerial by-election on 29 May 1879 but continued as Attorney-General without a seat.