Premier of South Australia Minister for Education Minister for Agriculture in the Kingston ministry
Which position did John Cockburn (Australian politician) hold from Aug 1890 to Apr 1898?
John Cockburn ( Australian politician ) Sir John Alexander Cockburn ( 23 August 185026 November 1929 ) was Premier of South Australia from 27 June 1889 to 18 August 1890 . Early life . Cockburn was born in Corsbie , Berwickshire , Scotland , in 1850 to Thomas Cockburn , farmer , and his wife Isabella , née Wright . His father died in France in 1855 , and his mother migrated to South Australia in 1867 with three of the four children . Cockburn remained in the UK and was educated at Highgate School , and Kings College London , he obtained the degree of M.D . London , with first class honours and gold medal . In 1875 , he married Sarah Holdway ( the daughter of Forbes Scott Brown ) and they had one son and one daughter . In 1879 he emigrated to South Australia and set up practice at Jamestown in the mid North . Political career . In 1878 , Cockburn was elected as the first mayor of the Corporate Town of Jamestown . In that role he lobbied the Government of South Australia to construct a railway line to the New South Wales border to tap the newly developed silver mining fields of the Barrier Ranges . Between 1884 and 1888 , during Cockburns parliamentary career , the South Australian Railways line through Jamestown to Petersburg was extended to the border to meet the tramway built by the Silverton Tramway Company , which linked the growing mines of Broken Hill to the South Australian coast at Port Pirie , where a smelter was built in 1889 , effectively capturing the economic benefits of the Broken Hill mining field for South Australia . The town surveyed at the colonial border in 1886 was named Cockburn in his honour . Cockburn stood for Burra in the South Australian House of Assembly in 1884 , serving as Minister of Education from 1885 to 1887 ( under premier John Downer ) before losing that seat and returning as member for Mount Barker , elected in April 1887 and holding that seat for 11 years . In 1884 Cockburn was able to pass progressive legislation including succession duties and land tax , and in 1886 was involved in introducing payment for members of the South Australian parliament . On 27 June 1889 , Cockburn became the first doctor to become premier , a role he held for fourteen months before he lost a no-confidence motion and handing back to Thomas Playford . He was Minister for Education again and Minister for Agriculture in the Kingston ministry from 1893 until April 1898 . He was active in the planning of Federation , including representing South Australia at the Melbourne conference in 1890 , in Sydney in 1891 and at the Adelaide conference in 1896 . Womens Suffrage . Cockburn supported the Womens Suffrage League throughout their campaign and frequently spoke at its meetings , and that of womens suffrage organisations in the United Kingdom . He chaired the leagues final meeting as well as its celebration event when suffrage was granted . Cockburn and Frederick Holder convinced the reluctant Premier Charles Kingston that by giving the vote to women they would be so grateful that they would vote for him . He continued to play a part in womens suffrage upon his return to London and , along with his wife , was active in the suffragette movement in England . Later life . After resigning from parliament , he went to England to serve as Agent-General for South Australia . He resigned in 1901 when the position was downgraded ( due to federation ) , but remained in London and unofficially represented South Australia and Australia in many things . He had a long career in Freemasonry that began with his initiation in 1876 . He would go on to help establish the Grand Lodge of South Australia and to serve in several high offices within it . After his return to England , he founded a new lodge in London and served as president of the International Masonic Club . As a Masonic Rosicrucian he was attracted to esoteric and philosophical subjects , and published several dozen articles exploring such themes in various Masonic periodicals . He was created Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George ( KCMG ) in the 1900 New Year Honours list on 1 January 1900 , and received the order from Queen Victoria during an investiture at Windsor Castle on 1 March 1900 . He was appointed a Knight of Grace of the Order of the Hospital of St . John of Jerusalem in England ( KGStJ ) in August 1901 . He died in London in 1929 without ever returning to Australia . His wife , son and daughter survived him . External links . - Parliament Profile - Electric Scotland - Australian Dictionary of Biography