Sir James Martin (Hardcover)

Intelligence, ambition, and self-belief took Martin, the son of the Governors Irish groom, to the pinnacles of colonial law and politics. He is the only man to have been both Premier and Chief Justice of New South Wales. Sir James Martin made his name as a fierce and partisan contributor to the vitriolic political debates of the 1840s. A brilliant young lawyer, he was in Parliament in 1848, before the age of 30. He stayed there, in and out of government, until 1873, when he made an honourable exit to the highest judicial office in the colony. Knighthood and civil honours followed. Self-made, rich, arrogant, and married to the wealthy daughter of a former convict, Martin attracted enemies. As a result, he could not always guarantee the passage of his legislation, and at times, he lost his parliamentary seat. Through all this, he conducted a huge Bar practice and was appointed Chief Justice.