Head of government Sir James Martin Member party unaligned | No. of ministers 7 | |
Date formed 16 December 1870 (1870-12-16) Date dissolved 13 May 1872 (1872-05-13) Head of state Queen Victoria (represented by The Earl Belmore) | ||
The third Martin ministry was the thirteenth ministry of the Colony of New South Wales, and the third and final occasion of being led by the Honourable Sir James Martin, KCB, 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 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. Martin came to power on this occasion, after Cowper again lost confidence of the Assembly.
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 16 December 1870 until 13 May 1872, when Martin retired. Upon retirement from politics, he was appointed as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales.