---
node: au_edmund_barton
type: person
slug: edmund_barton
title: "Edmund Barton"
lead: "The politician and jurist who led the federation movement and became the first prime minister of Australia in 1901."
published: 2026-07-15
updated: 2026-07-15
image_file: edmund_barton.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Edmund_Barton_-_1903.jpg"
image_author: "Unidentified photographer"
image_license: "Public domain"
---

## Who they were

Born in Sydney, Barton moved from law into politics and, succeeding Henry Parkes, became a leading figure of the federation movement, deeply involved in drafting the constitution.

## What they did

When the Commonwealth came into being on 1 January 1901, he became its first prime minister. His government passed foundational laws for the new nation, including immigration restriction and industrial arbitration.

## Legacy

He left the prime ministership in 1903 to become a justice of the newly created High Court of Australia. Barton is remembered as an architect of Federation and its first leader.