death_date death_place predecessor birth_place successor religion nationality office birth_date order term_start image article_title term_end name
29 february 1880 hobart , tasmania sir richard dry banff , scotland , uk frederick innes presbyterian british premier of tasmania 29 february 1812 8th 4 august 1869 james milne wilson.jpg james milne wilson
 4 november 1872 james milne wilson
james milne wilson

sir james milne wilson , kcmg -lrb- 29 february 1812 -- 29 february 1880 -rrb- served as premier of tasmania from 1869 to 1872 .
wilson was born in 1812 in banff , scotland ; the third son of john wilson , a shipowner , and his wife , barbara gray ; maternal grandson of alexander gray and wife , jean bean -lrb- see pedigree of bean of portsoy -rrb- .
educated at banff and edinburgh , he emigrated to tasmania in 1829 , studied practical engineering and afterwards became a ship 's officer .
he was connected with the cascade brewery for 14 years and became its manager .
he entered politics in october 1859 as member for hobart in the legislative council , and in january 1863 joined the whyte cabinet as minister without portfolio .
in 1868 , at the time of the visit of the duke of edinburgh , wilson was mayor of hobart and on 4 august 1869 became premier and colonial secretary in a ministry which lasted until november 1872 .
anthony trollope , who came to australia in 1871 , formed a high opinion of wilson : `` i thought i had not met a sounder politician in australia ... victoria is desirous of annexing tasmania .
perhaps when she has done so , mr wilson will become premier for the joint colonies , and then great things may be expected . ''
in 1872 , wilson was elected president of the tasmanian legislative council , and held this position until his death on 29 february 1880 , on his `` 17th '' birthday aged 68 .
in 1847 , he married deborah hope , daughter of peter degraves .
lady wilson survived him with children .
he was knighted in 1873 and created k.c.m.g. in 1878 .
he was a man of unbounded popularity , well known for his charities .
he was president of the southern tasmanian agricultural society and chairman of committees and president of the tasmanian jockey club .
as a politician wilson showed wisdom in his advocacy of free-trade between the australian colonies .
tasmania passed an intercolonial freetrade act in 1870 during his premiership , but the question made no headway on the mainland .
wilson achieved the extremely rare feat of being both born on 29 february -lrb- making him a leapling -rrb- and dying on the same date at the age of 68 .
