THE LATE SIR CHARLES LILLEY.

Evening Star, Issue 10399, 21 August 1897, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE LATE SIR CHARLES LILLEY.

- Sir Charles Lilley, who died at Brisbane yesterday* was the son; of the, late Mr T. Lilley, of Newcastle-on-Tyne, and was born on the 27 th May,'lß3o, so .that he was sixtyseven years of age. The chief part of ms. education was received atUniveraity College, London, and he was articled to an eminent London solicitor.. Arriving at Moreton Bay, Australia, in 1856 he re-entered upon the . profession of the law as an articled clerk to Mr Robert Little, Crown solicitor, and .was editor and joint lessee of the Moreton Bay ‘Courier/.in partnership, with Mr 0. Belbridge. On the separation of Moreton Bay from New South Wales; —a step of which he was one of the most active - advocates—and its- formation into the separate colony of Queensland, he ..was. -elected, member for Fortitude Valley, and he continued to represent that .constituency until the.end of his' parliamentary career. In 1861 he was called to the Bar, and in 1865 was appointed QO. In. ihs latter year, also, be became Attorney-General in the Herbert Ministry, an office which he continued to hold under - Mr Maealister’s Premiership until, July, 1866.,; Mr. Herbert came into power again for another month with Mr Priog for his Attorney-General; but- in August, when Mr Macalister was reinstated, Mr Lilley returned lo his old post and held office till August, 1867. A year later ho became Premier and Attorney-General, and whilst in power established free education throughout the colony. In May, 1870, he resigned in consequence of Parliament censuring him for having ordered the building of the steamer Governor Blackall without parliamentary sanction. In 1874 he refused to take office under Mr Macalister, as he was opposed to the popular borrowing.policy, and in the same year he relinquished polities, as he was appointed a Judge" of the Supreme Court, and in 1879 he became Chief - Justice —an office which he held until a few years ago, when, on his resignation, Sir : S. Griffith succeeded him. In 1881 he was knighted by patent. He always took a very active part in educational matters, having been mainly instrumental in founding the Brisbane Grammar School and having been chairman of the Royal Commission on Education, which resulted in the adoption of free, secular, and compulsory education. He was also the means of the Queensland Judicative. Act being passed. During the latter years of his life ■ Sir Charles Lilley advocated the severance of Australia from the United Kingdom. He was the most thoroughgoing advocate of the claims of the Labor party among all the prominent public men of Australia. On the occasion of the arbitration case in Wellington between the Government of this colony and the Midland Railway Company Sir Charles Lilley was the arbitrator nominated by the Government. In 1858 he married, a daughter of Mr Joshua Jeays, some time Mayor of Brisbane.