page_title: Septimus Burt
section_title: Political career
hierarchical_section_title: Septimus Burt / Political career
context_page_description: The Hon Septimus Burt KC 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 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, in the firm Stone and Burt.
  He was offered a knighthood in 1901 – Knight Commander of St Michael and St George – 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.
context_section_description: In 1874 Burt accepted a nominated membership of the Western Australian Legislative Council. 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 in the Legislative Council, but lost to John Horgan. In July of that year, he was elected to the Legislative Council's North District seat. 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 a member of the Perth City Council.
caption: An 1888 political cartoon supporting the election of John Horgan instead of his opponent Septimus Burt
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