George Leake

George Leake CMG
3rd Premier of Western Australia
In office 27 May 1901 – 21 November 1901
Preceded by	George Throssell
Succeeded by	Alf Morgans
In office 23 December 1901 – 24 June 1902
Preceded by	Alf Morgans
Succeeded by	Walter James
Personal details
Born	3 December 1847 Perth, Western Australia
Died	24 June 1902 (aged 54) Perth, Western Australia
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Unaligned
Spouse(s)	Louisa Emily Burt

George Leake, CMG (posthumous) QC (3 December 1856 – 24 June 1902) 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 and background

George Leake was born on 3 December 1856 in Perth in what was then the British colony of Western Australia. The Leake family was prominent in the development of Perth and Western Australia; his father George Walpole Leake (1825-1895) was a barrister and politician, his uncle Sir Luke Samuel Leake (1828-1886) was the first Speaker of the Western Australian Legislative Council. Their uncle George Leake (1786-1849) had arrived in what was then the Swan River Colony in 1829, and settled as a merchant.

Young George was educated at the Church of England Collegiate School (now Hale School) and at St Peter's College in Adelaide. He studied law, and in 1880 was admitted to the Western Australian bar and became a partner in his father's law firm. The following year he married Louisa Emily Burt, daughter of the late Chief Justice, Sir Archibald Burt. In 1883 he was appointed Crown Solicitor and Public Prosecutor. Leake also took a keen interest in the gold mining industry, and was a member of the syndicate that successfully sent Harry Anstey to find gold in the Yilgarn in 1887.

Career

In September 1886, Leake was appointed acting Attorney-General, and was subsequently nominated to the colony's Legislative Council. He remained in the position until December. On 28 November 1890, Leake was elected unopposed to the Legislative Assembly seat of Roebourne. He was offered a position in John Forrest's ministry, but declined, and resigned shortly afterwards on 30 December 1890 to avoid forfeiting his position as Crown Solicitor.

On 23 June 1894, Leake was elected as Legislative Assembly member for Albany, and in the following year became Leader of the Opposition. He was an enthusiastic proponent of federation and was president of the Federation League. In 1897 he was chosen as a Western Australian delegate to the Federal Convention, and attended meetings in Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne. He became a Queen's Counsel in 1898.

On 2 August 1900, Leake resigned his seat for business reasons, and travelled to Europe. After his return, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly as member for West Perth on 24 April 1901. No party won clear support in that election, and the incumbent premier George Throssell resigned office before parliament met, rather than test his support. Leader of the Opposition Frederick Illingworth was then invited to form a government, but could not do so because Leake refused to serve under him and some other members refused to serve without Leake. Eventually it was agreed that Leake would become premier, and Illingworth would be treasurer and colonial secretary. Leake became Premier and Attorney-General on 27 May.

Leake's government did not have the support of the majority of parliament, but it was allowed to govern for five months until finally being defeated in November. Alf Morgans then formed a government, but in the subsequent ministerial by-election,^[1] supporters of Leake stood against Morgans' new cabinet, and three of the six new ministers were defeated. Morgans then resigned and Leake returned as Premier and Attorney-General on 23 December 1901, this time with much clearer support.

Last days and death

In June 1902, Leake caught pneumonia. He died on 24 June 1902,^[2] to date the only Western Australian premier to die in office. Two days later it was announced in The Times that King Edward VII had intended to make him a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG), and the award was made posthumously.^[3][4]

Footnotes

1. Until 1947, newly appointed ministers were required to resign and stand for re-election.
2. "Obituary - Hon. George Leake" The Times (London). Thursday, 26 June 1902. (36804), p. 7.
3. "The Coronation Honours" The Times (London). Thursday, 26 June 1902. (36804), p. 5.
4. It's an Honour: CMG 26 June 1902

References

• Black, David; Bolton, Geoffrey (2001). Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia, Volume One, 1870–1930 (Revised ed.). Parliament House: Parliament of Western Australia. ISBN 0730738140.
• Reid, Gordon Stanley and Oliver, Margaret Ruth (1982). The Premiers of Western Australia 1890–1982. Nedlands, Western Australia: University of Western Australia Press. ISBN 0-85564-214-9.
• Serle, Percival (1949). "Leake, George". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Sydney: Angus and Robertson.
• The Constitution Centre of Western Australia (2002). Governors and Premiers of Western Australia. West Perth, Western Australia: The Constitution Centre of Western Australia. ISBN 0-7307-3821-3.
• Kimberly, W.B. (compiler) (1897). History of West Australia. A Narrative of her Past. Together With Biographies of Her Leading Men. Melbourne: F.W. Niven.

Further reading

• Chapman, Jenny. (1965) Perserverando : the Leake family in the political, economic and social life of W.A., 1829–1902, with particular reference to George Leake (1786–1849), Sir Luke Samuel Leake (1828–1886), and George Leake (1856–1902) held in Battye Library.
• Leake family tree.