Head of government James Martin Member party unaligned | No. of ministers 9 | |
Date formed 22 January 1866 (1866-01-22) Date dissolved 26 October 1868 (1868-10-26) Head of state Queen Victoria (represented by Sir John Young, and subsequently The Earl Belmore) | ||
The second Martin ministry was the tenth ministry of the Colony of New South Wales, and second of three occasions of being led by the Honourable James Martin, QC.
Martin was elected in the first free elections for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly held in 1856. He came to power as Premier on the first occasion after he defeated Charles Cowper's government fell in October 1863. Martin was asked to form government on the second occasion, this time in coalition with his former rival, Henry Parkes, after Cowper again lost the conifidence of the Assembly in December 1865.
The title of Premier was widely used to refer to the Leader of Government, but not enshrined in formal use until 1920.
There was no party system in New South Wales politics until 1887. Under the constitution, ministers were required to resign to recontest their seats in a by-election when appointed. These by-elections are only noted when the minister was defeated; in general, he was elected unopposed.
This ministry covers the period from 22 January 1866 until 26 October 1868, when Martin resigned.