Complex sentence: On 31 December 1880 he joined the first Thomas McIlwraith ministry as attorney-general and held this position until 6 January 1883, when he resigned on being appointed a supreme court judge for the northern district of Queensland.
Split into simpler sentences: On 31 December 1880 he joined the first Thomas McIlwraith ministry as attorney-general. He resigned his position as attorney-general on 6 January 1883 when he was appointed as a supreme court judge for the northern district of Queensland.