George Leake

George Leake ( born December 3, 1856 in Perth in the British colony of Western Australia, † June 24, 1902 in Perth ) was a lawyer by profession and Prime Minister in Western Australia on 27 May 1901 to 21 November 1901, again of 23 December 1901 until his death on 24 June 1902.

Early years

Leake went to the Church of England Collegiate School (now Hale School) and St. Peter College in Adelaide to school. He studied law and in 1880 he was admitted to the Western Australian court and became a partner in the law firm of his father. The following year he married Lousa Emily Burt. In 1883 he was appointed attorney and the prosecutor. Leake was also very interested in the gold mining and a member of the syndicate that Harry Anstey successfully sent out in 1887 to find gold in the Yilgarn region.

Career

In September 1886 he was appointed Attorney-General of Western Australia and nominated for the Legislative Council of the Western Australian Councils, in this position he remained until December. On November 28, 1890 Leake was unanimously elected to the Western Australian Legislative Assembly for the constituency Roebourne. He was offered a position in the ministry of John Forrest, but he refused.

On June 23, 1894 Leake was elected to the Legislative Assembly from Albany and in the following year to the opposition leader in Western Australia. He was an enthusiastic proponent of a federation of Australia, which he was president. In 1897 he was elected to the Western Australian delegation to the Federal Convention and took part in meetings in Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne. He became a Queen's Counsel in 1898.

On 2 August 1900, traveled on business to Europe. After his return he was elected in the constituency of West Perth on 24 April 1901. Neither party was able to clear the choice to decide for himself and the Prime Minister George Throssell resigned before Parliament met. The leader of the opposition Frederick Illingworth was asked to form a government, but it could not because he Leake refused his followers. Maybe it was agreed that Leake Minister and held Illingworth Treasurer and Colonial Secretary. Leake was Prime Minister and Attorney General on May 27.

The Government of Leake did not have the support of the majority of parliament, but he was able to govern five months until he was defeated in November. According to him, Alf Morgans formed the government, but the supporters of Leake were against the Cabinet of Morgan, so that three of the six ministerial tasks. Morgan resigned. Leake was again Prime Minister and Attorney-General on 23 December 1901, finally had clear political conditions created.

In June 1902 Leake fell ill with pneumonia and died on 24 June 1902. Two days later it was published in the Times that it King Edward VII has posthumously compagnion of the Order of St Michael and St George ( CMG), appointed.