Septimus Burt
Encyclopedia
The Hon Septimus Burt KC (1847–1919) was a Western Australian lawyer, politician and grazier, the son of Sir Archibald Burt
.
He was born on 25 October 1847 at St Kitts in the West Indies, and educated at a private school at Melksham, Wiltshire, England. His family had been resident in the West Indies since 1635, primarily involved in administration of the Leeward Islands and in sugar plantations. Burt's great-great-great-uncle, William Mathew Burt, was Governor-General (1776-1781) of the Leeward Islands
during the American War of Independence.
In January 1861 he arrived in Western Australia
with his parents, and subsequently attended Hale School
in Perth.
He served as an articled clerk
to George Frederick Stone
, and was admitted to the Bar
in 1870. In 1876, Burt went into partnership with Edward Albert Stone
(George Frederick’s son), in the firm "Stone and Burt".
He was offered a knighthood in 1901, Knight Commander of St Michael and St George (KCMG), but declined it. He also declined several invitations to join the bench of the Supreme Court
, including the position of Chief Justice at the request of Premier George Leake
in 1901.
He died on 15 May 1919, and is buried at Karrakatta Cemetery
.
. In 1879 he relinquished that nominee membership, and in the general election of 1880 was elected unopposed for the district of Murray and Williams.
In March 1886 Burt resigned from his seat on the Legislative Council to accept the position of Acting Attorney-General
after the sudden resignation of the incumbent Alfred Hensman. Burt remained as Attorney-General until December 1886.
In 1887 Burt was appointed one of Western Australia’s two representatives to the First Colonial Conference
in London. He was also appointed Queen's Counsel
.
In May 1888 Burt contested a by-election for the Perth seat of the Legislative Council, but lost to John Horgan
. In July of that year, he was elected to the North Province seat of the Legislative Council. When Western Australia gained self-government in 1890, he was elected unopposed as the inaugural Legislative Assembly
member for Ashburton
, and held that seat until he retired from politics in 1900. During this time he was Attorney General (1890-1897), was Acting Premier when the leader, Sir John Forrest
, was absent from the State, and was responsible for the creation of the Western Australian Agent-General's office in London and acted in that position from 1891-1892. Sir Malcolm Fraser
KCMG took over in 1892 as the official Agent General for Western Australia. Burt was also a member of the Executive Council (1890-1901). He also served as "Minister without portfolio
" from 1897-1900.
From 1881 to 1889, Burt was also a member of the Perth City Council.
, Alexander
and David
Forrest and took up a 590000 acres (238,764.7 ha) lease of land on the Ashburton River
. This lease became known as Minderoo Station. He was also owner or part-owner of other properties, including Kadji Kadji, Brick House (near Carnarvon), Yinnetharra,
The Australian Dictionary of Biography and Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia spell the station name as "Yinniethana", apparently incorrectly.
Red Hill, Gifford Creek and Minne Creek. The syndicate was dissolved in later years, with the families taking separate ownership of the properties.
He was a synodsman, trustee and legal advisor for the Church of England
, and a close friend of Archbishop Charles Riley.
In 1917 Burt and his wife funded and donated to the Church the Burt Memorial Hall on St Georges Terrace, as a memorial to their two sons killed during . Initially it was to commemorate their son Theodore, who died in 1917, but a second son, Francis, was killed in 1918 before the construction was complete.
Burt was captain of the Perth Cricketers in 1871, president of the Carnarvon Club 1917-1918,and a foundation member of the Weld Club
.
Archibald Burt
Sir Archibald Paull Burt Kt QC was a British lawyer from the colonies of the West Indies, and was the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Western Australia, which is the highest ranking court in the Australian State of Western Australia.-Biography:Archibald Paull Burt was born in 1810, in...
.
He was born on 25 October 1847 at St Kitts in the West Indies, and educated at a private school at Melksham, Wiltshire, England. His family had been resident in the West Indies since 1635, primarily involved in administration of the Leeward Islands and in sugar plantations. Burt's great-great-great-uncle, William Mathew Burt, was Governor-General (1776-1781) of the Leeward Islands
Leeward Islands
The Leeward Islands are a group of islands in the West Indies. They are the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles chain. As a group they start east of Puerto Rico and reach southward to Dominica. They are situated where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean...
during the American War of Independence.
In January 1861 he arrived in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
with his parents, and subsequently attended Hale School
Hale School
Hale School is a selective, independent, Anglican day and boarding school for boys, located in Wembley Downs, a coastal suburb of Perth, Western Australia....
in Perth.
He served as an articled clerk
Articled clerk
An articled clerk, also known as an articling student, is an apprentice in a professional firm in Commonwealth countries. Generally the term arises in the accountancy profession and in the legal profession. The articled clerk signs a contract, known as "articles of clerkship", committing to a...
to George Frederick Stone
George Frederick Stone
George Frederick Stone was a Western Australian lawyer and Attorney General of Western Australia from 1854–57 and again from 1860–70.-References:...
, and was admitted to the Bar
Bar association
A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...
in 1870. In 1876, Burt went into partnership with Edward Albert Stone
Edward Albert Stone
Sir Edward Albert Stone KCMG was an Australian lawyer, lieutenant governor, politician and the fourth Chief Justice of Western Australia....
(George Frederick’s son), in the firm "Stone and Burt".
He was offered a knighthood in 1901, Knight Commander of St Michael and St George (KCMG), but declined it. He also declined several invitations to join the bench of the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of Western Australia
The Supreme Court of Western Australia is the highest state court in the Australian State of Western Australia. It has unlimited jurisdiction within the state in civil matters , and hears the most serious criminal matters.The Supreme Court consists of a General Division The Supreme Court of Western...
, including the position of Chief Justice at the request of Premier George Leake
George Leake
George Leake CMG QC was Premier of Western Australia from 27 May 1901 to 21 November 1901, and again from 23 December 1901 until his death on 24 June 1902.-Early life:...
in 1901.
He died on 15 May 1919, and is buried at Karrakatta Cemetery
Karrakatta Cemetery
Karrakatta Cemetery is a metropolitan cemetery in the suburb of Karrakatta in Perth, Western Australia. Karrakatta Cemetery first opened for burials in 1899, with Robert Creighton. Currently managed by the Metropolitan Cemeteries Board, the cemetery attracts more than one million visitors each...
.
Political career
In 1874 Burt accepted a nominated membership of the Western Australian Legislative CouncilWestern Australian Legislative Council
The Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. Its central purpose is to act as a house of review for legislation passed through the lower house, the Legislative Assembly. It sits in Parliament House in the state...
. In 1879 he relinquished that nominee membership, and in the general election of 1880 was elected unopposed for the district of Murray and Williams.
In March 1886 Burt resigned from his seat on the Legislative Council to accept the position of Acting Attorney-General
Attorney-General of Western Australia
The Attorney-General of Western Australia is the member of the Government of Western Australia responsible for maintenance and improvement of Western Australia's system of law and justice. Before the advent of representative government in 1870, the title was Advocate-General of Western Australia...
after the sudden resignation of the incumbent Alfred Hensman. Burt remained as Attorney-General until December 1886.
In 1887 Burt was appointed one of Western Australia’s two representatives to the First Colonial Conference
First Colonial Conference
The First Colonial Conference met in London in 1887 on the occasion of Queen Victoria's jubilee.Among other things discussed, the colonies in Australia and New Zealand agreed to pay £126,000 per annum towards the Royal Navy to help pay for the United Kingdom's naval deployments in the Pacific...
in London. He was also appointed Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
.
In May 1888 Burt contested a by-election for the Perth seat of the Legislative Council, but lost to John Horgan
John Horgan (Australian politician)
John William Horgan was a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council in 1888–89. He is remembered most for his aggressive election campaigns in which he characterised six of the most prominent families in colonial Western Australia as the "six hungry families".John Horgan was born...
. In July of that year, he was elected to the North Province seat of the Legislative Council. When Western Australia gained self-government in 1890, he was elected unopposed as the inaugural Legislative Assembly
Western Australian Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Perth....
member for Ashburton
Electoral district of Ashburton
Ashburton was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia from 1890 to 1901 and again from 1989 to 1996....
, and held that seat until he retired from politics in 1900. During this time he was Attorney General (1890-1897), was Acting Premier when the leader, Sir John Forrest
John Forrest
Sir John Forrest GCMG was an Australian explorer, the first Premier of Western Australia and a cabinet minister in Australia's first federal parliament....
, was absent from the State, and was responsible for the creation of the Western Australian Agent-General's office in London and acted in that position from 1891-1892. Sir Malcolm Fraser
Malcolm Fraser (surveyor)
Sir Malcolm Fraser KCMG was a powerful public servant in colonial Western Australia in the 1870s and 1880s.Malcolm Fraser was born in Gloucestershire, England in 1834. Nothing is known of his early life, except that he must have qualified as a surveyor at some stage, and that he emigrated to New...
KCMG took over in 1892 as the official Agent General for Western Australia. Burt was also a member of the Executive Council (1890-1901). He also served as "Minister without portfolio
Minister without Portfolio
A minister without portfolio is either a government minister with no specific responsibilities or a minister that does not head a particular ministry...
" from 1897-1900.
From 1881 to 1889, Burt was also a member of the Perth City Council.
Pastoral interests
In 1877 Burt formed a syndicate with JohnJohn Forrest
Sir John Forrest GCMG was an Australian explorer, the first Premier of Western Australia and a cabinet minister in Australia's first federal parliament....
, Alexander
Alexander Forrest
Alexander Forrest CMG, was an explorer and surveyor of Western Australia, as well as a politician.-Early life:Forrest was born at Picton, near Bunbury in Western Australia, the son of William and Margaret Forrest...
and David
David Forrest (Australian politician)
David Forrest was an Australian politician, a member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 1900 to 1901, holding the seat of Ashburton. He was the younger brother of Sir John Forrest and Alexander Forrest, and the great-grandfather of Andrew Forrest.Forrest was the sixth child of...
Forrest and took up a 590000 acres (238,764.7 ha) lease of land on the Ashburton River
Ashburton River (Western Australia)
The Ashburton River is located within the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The river rises approximately 100 km south of Newman and flows in a west north westerly direction until discharging into the Indian Ocean approximately 20 km south west of Onslow. The river crosses the North...
. This lease became known as Minderoo Station. He was also owner or part-owner of other properties, including Kadji Kadji, Brick House (near Carnarvon), Yinnetharra,
The Australian Dictionary of Biography and Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia spell the station name as "Yinniethana", apparently incorrectly.
Red Hill, Gifford Creek and Minne Creek. The syndicate was dissolved in later years, with the families taking separate ownership of the properties.
Personal life
Burt married Louisa Fanny Hare (daughter of Gustavus Edward Cockburn Hare-Naylor and Sarah Annie Wright) in 1872. The couple had ten children.He was a synodsman, trustee and legal advisor for the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
, and a close friend of Archbishop Charles Riley.
In 1917 Burt and his wife funded and donated to the Church the Burt Memorial Hall on St Georges Terrace, as a memorial to their two sons killed during . Initially it was to commemorate their son Theodore, who died in 1917, but a second son, Francis, was killed in 1918 before the construction was complete.
Burt was captain of the Perth Cricketers in 1871, president of the Carnarvon Club 1917-1918,and a foundation member of the Weld Club
Weld Club
The Weld Club is a gentlemen's club in Perth, Western Australia, founded in 1871 by members of the establishment of Perth. It was named after the then Governor of Western Australia, Sir Frederick Weld with the club building designed by Talbot Hobbs and constructed in 1892.-External links:*...
.