The Cowper ministry or Fifth Cowper ministry was the twelfth ministry of the Colony of New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

, and the fifth and final occasion of being led by the Premier

Premiers of New South Wales

The Premier of New South Wales is the head of government in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Government of New South Wales follows the Westminster system, with a Parliament of New South Wales acting as the legislature...

, the Honourable Sir Charles Cowper

Charles Cowper

Sir Charles Cowper, KCMG was an Australian politician and the Premier of New South Wales on five different occasions from 1856 to 1870....

, CMG

Order of St Michael and St George

The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....

, MLA.
Cowper was elected in the first free elections for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly

New South Wales Legislative Assembly

The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...

 held in March 1856, and fought unsuccessfully with Stuart Donaldson

Stuart Donaldson

Sir Stuart Alexander Donaldson was the first Premier of the Colony of New South Wales.-Early life:Donaldson was born in London, England. He entered his father's firm at the age of 15 and was sent first to Mexico , for business training, and then to Sydney, where he arrived in 1835...

 to form Government. When Donaldson's Government faltered a little over two months after it was formed, Cowper formed Government on the first occasion

Cowper ministry (1856)

The Cowper ministry or First Cowper ministry was the second ministry of the Colony of New South Wales, and was led by the Premier, the Honourable Charles Cowper. It was the first of five occasions that Cowper was Premier...

, but he also lost the confidence of the Assembly a few months later. Cowper formed Government on the second occasion between 1857 and 1859; but it also lost the confidence of the Assembly. On the third occasion, Cowper formed Government following the decision by Premier John Robertson

John Robertson (Australian politician)

Sir John Robertson, KCMG was an Australian politician and Premier of New South Wales on five occasions. Robertson is best remembered for land reform and in particular the Robertson Land Acts of 1861, which sought to open up the selection of Crown land and break the monopoly of the...

 to step aside and focus on land reform, however Cowper then lost the 1863 general election to James Martin

James Martin (Australian politician)

Sir James Martin, KCB, QC was three times Premier of New South Wales, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales from 1873 to 1886.-Early career:...

. Cowper retained government on the fourth occasion

Cowper ministry (1865–1866)

The Cowper ministry or Fourth Cowper ministry was the ninth ministry of the Colony of New South Wales, and fourth occasion of being led by the Premier, the Honourable Charles Cowper....

 by defeating Martin at the 1865 general election. Following the resignation of his colleague, Robertson, who lost the confidence of the Assembly, Cowper became Premier on the fifth and final occasion in 1870.

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. These by-elections are only noted when the minister was defeated; in general, he was elected unopposed.

This ministry covers the period from 13 January 1870 until 15 December 1870, when Martin was asked to form government after Cowper again lost the confidence of the Assembly.

Composition of ministry

Portfolio	Minister	Term commence	Term end	Term of office
Premier Colonial Secretary Chief Secretary The Chief Secretary is the title of a senior civil servant in members of the Commonwealth of Nations, and, historically, in the British Empire. Prior to the dissolution of the colonies, the Chief Secretary was the second most important official in a colony of the British Empire after the...	Hon. Sir Charles Cowper Charles Cowper Sir Charles Cowper, KCMG was an Australian politician and the Premier of New South Wales on five different occasions from 1856 to 1870.... , CMG Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III.... , MLA	13 January 1870	15 December 1870	days
Colonial Treasurer Treasurer of New South Wales The Treasurer of New South Wales, known from 1856–1959 as the Colonial Treasurer of New South Wales, is the minister in the Government of New South Wales responsible for government expenditure and revenue raising and is the head of the New South Wales Treasury. The Treasurer plays a key role in...	Hon. Saul Samuel Saul Samuel Sir Saul Samuel CMG, KCMG, CB was an Australian colonial merchant, member of parliament, pastoralist, and prominent Jew...  MLA
Secretary for Lands	Hon. William Forster MLA		14 April 1870	days
	Hon. John Robertson John Robertson (Australian politician) Sir John Robertson, KCMG was an Australian politician and Premier of New South Wales on five occasions. Robertson is best remembered for land reform and in particular the Robertson Land Acts of 1861, which sought to open up the selection of Crown land and break the monopoly of the...  MLA	13 August 1870	15 December 1870	days
Secretary for Public Works	Hon. John Sutherland MLA	13 January 1870		days
Attorney-General	Hon. Sir William Manning William Montagu Manning Sir William Montagu Manning KCMG LLD was an English-born Australian politician, judge and University of Sydney chancellor.-Early life:...  MLC
Solicitor General	Hon. Julian Salomons Julian Salomons The Honourable Sir Julian Emanuel Salomons was a barrister, royal commissioner, solicitor-general, chief justice and member of parliament. He was the only chief justice in New South Wales to be appointed and resign before he was ever sworn into office...  MLA
Postmaster-General	Hon. Daniel Egan Daniel Egan Daniel Egan was an Australian politician. Egan served as Mayor of Sydney in 1853 and was also a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly....  MLA
Representative of the Government in Legislative Council	Hon. Robert Owen Robert Owen Robert Owen was a Welsh social reformer and one of the founders of utopian socialism and the cooperative movement.Owen's philosophy was based on three intellectual pillars:...  MLC		1 August 1870	days

A Member of the Government with a Seat in the Cabinet

See also

• Sir Charles Cowper
  Charles Cowper
  Sir Charles Cowper, KCMG was an Australian politician and the Premier of New South Wales on five different occasions from 1856 to 1870....
  
  , CMG
  Order of St Michael and St George
  The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
  
  , MLA - second Premier of New South Wales
• Self-government in New South Wales
• Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, 1869–1872
  Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, 1869–1872
  This is a list of members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1869 to 1872. Elections for the sixth Legislative Assembly were held between 3 December 1869 and 10 January 1870 with parliament first meeting on 27 January 1870. There were 72 members elected for 52 single member...
  
  
• First Cowper ministry (1856)
  Cowper ministry (1856)
  The Cowper ministry or First Cowper ministry was the second ministry of the Colony of New South Wales, and was led by the Premier, the Honourable Charles Cowper. It was the first of five occasions that Cowper was Premier...
  
  
• Second Cowper ministry (1857–1859)
  Cowper ministry (1857–1859)
  The Cowper ministry or Second Cowper ministry was the fourth ministry of the Colony of New South Wales, and second occasion of being led by the Premier, the Honourable Charles Cowper....
  
  
• Third Cowper ministry (1861–1863)
  Cowper ministry (1861–1863)
  The Cowper ministry or Third Cowper ministrywas the seventh ministry of the Colony of New South Wales, and third occasion of being led by the Premier, the Honourable Charles Cowper....
  
  
• Fourth Cowper ministry (1865–1866)
  Cowper ministry (1865–1866)
  The Cowper ministry or Fourth Cowper ministry was the ninth ministry of the Colony of New South Wales, and fourth occasion of being led by the Premier, the Honourable Charles Cowper....