# Josiah Symon

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Australian politician

The Honourable Sir Josiah Symon KCMG QC Symon in 1920 Attorney-General of Australia In office 17 August 1904 – 5 July 1905 Prime Minister George Reid Preceded by H. B. Higgins Succeeded by Isaac Isaacs Leader of the Opposition in the Senate In office 5 July 1905 – 21 November 1907 Preceded by Gregor McGregor Succeeded by Edward Millen In office 6 June 1901 – 18 August 1904 Preceded by none Succeeded by Gregor McGregor Leader of the Government in the Senate In office 18 August 1904 – 5 July 1905 Preceded by Gregor McGregor Succeeded by Tom Playford II Senator for South Australia In office 30 March 1901 – 30 June 1913 Preceded by parliament established Succeeded by James O'Loghlin Attorney-General of South Australia In office 10 March 1881 – 24 June 1881 Preceded by William Henry Bundey Succeeded by John Downer Member of the South Australian House of Assembly In office April 1881 (1881-04) – April 1887 (1887-04) Constituency Sturt Personal details Born (1846-09-27)27 September 1846 Wick, Highland, Scotland Died 29 March 1934(1934-03-29) (aged 87) North Adelaide, South Australia Party Free Trade (1901–06) Anti-Socialist (1906–09) Independent (1909–13) Spouse Mary Cowle ​ (m. 1881)​ Occupation Barrister, politician

**Sir Josiah Henry Symon** [KCMG](/source/Knight_Commander_of_the_Order_of_St_Michael_and_St_George) [KC](/source/King's_Counsel) (27 September 1846 – 29 March 1934) was an Australian lawyer and politician. He was a [Senator](/source/Australian_Senate) for [South Australia](/source/South_Australia) from 1901 to 1913 and [Attorney-General of Australia](/source/Attorney-General_of_Australia) from 1904 to 1905.

Symon was born in [Wick, Caithness](/source/Wick%2C_Caithness), Scotland. He immigrated to South Australia in 1866 and became one of the colony's leading [barristers](/source/Barrister). He was appointed [Attorney-General of South Australia](/source/Attorney-General_of_South_Australia) in 1881, serving only a few months, and won election to the [Parliament of South Australia](/source/Parliament_of_South_Australia) in the same year. Symon supported the [federation movement](/source/Federation_of_Australia) and won election to the Senate at the [1901 federal election](/source/1901_Australian_federal_election). He served as Attorney-General in the [Reid government](/source/Reid_government) (1904–1905). After his death he donated his extensive personal collection to the [State Library of South Australia](/source/State_Library_of_South_Australia).

## Early life

Symon was born in [Wick](/source/Wick%2C_Highland), a town in the county of [Caithness](/source/Caithness) in the [Scottish Highlands](/source/Scottish_Highlands), in 1846. He was educated at [Stirling High School](/source/Stirling_High_School), where he was the [dux](/source/Dux) in 1862, before attending the [Free Church Training College](/source/Free_Church_Training_College) in [Edinburgh](/source/Edinburgh).[1] His brother, [David Symon](/source/David_Symon), was a member of the [Legislative Assembly](/source/Western_Australian_Legislative_Assembly) of [Western Australia](/source/Western_Australia).[2] He was a distant cousin of [Magnus Cormack](/source/Magnus_Cormack), who was also born in Wick and served as [President of the Senate](/source/President_of_the_Senate_(Australia)) in the 1970s.[3]

In 1866 he emigrated to South Australia and was employed as an [articled clerk](/source/Articled_clerk) with his cousin, J. D. Sutherland, a solicitor in the city of [Mount Gambier](/source/Mount_Gambier%2C_South_Australia). The leader of the South Australian Bar Association at the time (and a future [Chief Justice of South Australia](/source/Chief_Justice_of_South_Australia)), [Samuel Way](/source/Samuel_Way), noticed Symon's work and invited him to join his firm. Symon, having completed his studies, was called to the bar in 1871, and admitted to practice as a [barrister](/source/Barrister). In 1872, after the death of one of the partners at Way's firm, Symon became a partner alongside Way. In 1876, Way was appointed as a judge, and Symon bought out his part of the business.

## Colonial politics

Symon c. 1881

In March 1881, Symon was made [Attorney-General of South Australia](/source/Attorney-General_of_South_Australia) in the [Morgan government](/source/William_Morgan_(South_Australian_politician)), although at the time he had not been elected to the [Parliament of South Australia](/source/Parliament_of_South_Australia). He was elected as the member for [Sturt](/source/Electoral_district_of_Sturt_(South_Australia)) in the [South Australian House of Assembly](/source/South_Australian_House_of_Assembly) several weeks later. However, the Morgan government lost power on 24 June of that year, and Symon lost his position as Attorney-General. Later in 1881, Symon was made a [Queen's Counsel](/source/Queen's_Counsel), and on 8 December of that year he married Mary Cowle, with whom he was to have five sons and seven daughters. In 1884, Symon was offered a judicial position, but he declined to accept it. He travelled to England in 1886, and was offered a nomination for a seat in the [British House of Commons](/source/British_House_of_Commons), however he declined this opportunity also. In 1887, after returning to Australia, he lost his seat in the South Australian parliament.

He was a highly effective and ruthless advocate: in 1889 he successfully prosecuted the [William Hutchison](/source/William_Hutchison_(pastoralist)) libel case against [J. B. Mather](/source/J._B._Mather) and [George Ash](/source/George_Ash_(Australian_politician)) of [The Narracoorte Herald](/source/The_Narracoorte_Herald). In his highly technical argument he succeeded in having evidence from [Hansard](/source/Hansard) and Crown Law documents ruled as inadmissible. Ash (who conducted his own defence) then turned to politics and law, and after his untimely death received glowing tributes from Symon.[4]

Symon was an ardent supporter of the cause of Federation, and frustrated by the apathy the question commonly received in South Australia. He successfully stood as a candidate for the Australasian Federal Convention of 1897-8, and was on the side of the majority in 71 percent of its divisions; a higher percentage than the great bulk of delegates.[5] In the subsequent struggle to win the support of the electorate for the proposed federal constitution, he was a significant behind the scenes player, sought out by [Alfred Deakin](/source/Alfred_Deakin), for example, to arrange funding for Federationist candidates in the NSW general election of 1898.[6] Symon was knighted on the day of the proclamation of the new Commonwealth.

## Federal politics

Undated photo

Symon stood for election to the [Australian Senate](/source/Australian_Senate) at the [1901 election](/source/1901_Australian_federal_election) for the [Free Trade Party](/source/Free_Trade_Party), and was placed first overall by the voters of South Australia. He was made [leader of the opposition](/source/Opposition_(Australia)) in the Senate, and was a leader within the Free Trade Party on [tariff](/source/Tariff) policy. After being elected to the Parliament, he stood down from his position as a member of the council of the [University of Adelaide](/source/University_of_Adelaide), a position he had held since 1897. In 1902, he was involved as the defense council in the highly publicised [murder of Bertha Schippan](/source/Murder_of_Bertha_Schippan) trial. At the [1903 election](/source/1903_Australian_federal_election) he again topped the poll for the Senate in South Australia. When the [High Court of Australia](/source/High_Court_of_Australia) was created in late 1903, Symon was mentioned in the press as a possible judge of the court, although ultimately he was not appointed. From August 1904 to July 1905 he was the [Attorney-General of Australia](/source/Attorney-General_of_Australia) in the [Reid Ministry](/source/Reid_Ministry).[7]

Symon was renowned as a tough and uncompromising politician. He has been described as both an "eloquent and emotional speaker" and often "abrasive and argumentative."[8] Late in 1904, Symon was involved in a dispute with the judges of the High Court. In the court's early years, its official home was a courtroom in Melbourne, although it often sat at the court in the Sydney suburb of [Darlinghurst](/source/Darlinghurst%2C_New_South_Wales). Justices [Barton](/source/Edmund_Barton) and [O'Connor](/source/Richard_O'Connor_(Australian_politician)) lived in Sydney, but [Chief Justice of Australia](/source/Chief_Justice_of_Australia) Sir [Samuel Griffith](/source/Samuel_Griffith) lived in [Brisbane](/source/Brisbane), and took a two-day train ride to attend each sitting in Melbourne. When Griffith asked for some bookshelves to be installed in the Darlinghurst courthouse, so that his law library might be moved from his offices in Brisbane, Symon criticised Griffith for holding any sittings outside Melbourne, and began intrusive inspections of the judges' travel expenses. Prime Minister [George Reid](/source/George_Reid) tried to intervene, and Griffith even took the extraordinary step of delaying scheduled sittings early in 1905. The stand-off was resolved when the Reid government left power, and the new Attorney-General (and future Chief Justice) [Isaac Isaacs](/source/Isaac_Isaacs) permitted the judges to travel. Later, in 1930, when Symon was president of the Adelaide branch of the [Royal Empire Society](/source/Royal_Empire_Society), he was an outspoken opponent of [James Scullin](/source/James_Scullin)'s nomination of Isaacs as [Governor-General of Australia](/source/Governor-General_of_Australia).

After visiting the future site of [Canberra](/source/Canberra) in August 1906, Symon joined those supporting it as the location of the national capital, stating that "*the site seems to me an ideal one*".[9]

In 1909, when the Free Trade Party and the [Protectionist Party](/source/Protectionist_Party) merged to form the [Commonwealth Liberal Party](/source/Commonwealth_Liberal_Party), Symon was one of a small group of politicians who did not join, instead remaining in Parliament as an independent. Symon did not hold any other ministerial positions, and eventually left the Senate after losing his seat in the [1913 election](/source/1913_Australian_federal_election). He continued to practice as a barrister until his retirement in 1923 at the age of seventy-seven.

## Death and recognition

Caricature by [Will Dyson](/source/Will_Dyson)

Symon died in 1934, and was given a [state funeral](/source/State_funeral). He was survived by his wife, his five sons and five of his seven daughters. In addition to bequeathing his library, Symon also left money for the establishment of scholarships at the [University of Sydney](/source/University_of_Sydney), [Scotch College](/source/Scotch_College%2C_Adelaide) in [Adelaide](/source/Adelaide) and Stirling High School, which he had attended in his youth.

The Canberra suburb of [Symonston](/source/Symonston%2C_Australian_Capital_Territory) is named for him.

The [Lady Symon Building](/source/Lady_Symon_Building), designed by [Woods, Bagot, Jory and Laybourne-Smith](/source/Woods%2C_Bagot%2C_Jory_and_Laybourne-Smith) and built in 1927 as part of the Union Buildings at the [University of Adelaide](/source/University_of_Adelaide), was named after his wife.[10]

## Philanthropy

Symon was a lover of history and literature, and was nominated as a founding member of the Parliamentary Library Committee, which oversees the [Parliament of Australia Parliamentary Library](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Parliament_of_Australia_Parliamentary_Library&action=edit&redlink=1).[11] Symon, along with [Tasmanian](/source/Tasmania) Senator [John Keating](/source/John_Keating_(Australian_politician)), who was also on the committee, suggested that historical documents relating to Australia but kept in the United Kingdom be brought to Australia. In 1907 he visited the [Public Record Office](/source/Public_Record_Office) in London while on a holiday, and campaigned for the [logbooks](/source/Logbook) of Captain [James Cook](/source/James_Cook)'s ships [HM Bark *Endeavour*](/source/HM_Bark_Endeavour) and [HMS *Resolution*](/source/HMS_Resolution_(Cook)) to be brought to Australia, in the same way that the log of the *[Mayflower](/source/Mayflower)* had been taken to [Boston](/source/Boston%2C_Massachusetts) in the United States. Though unsuccessful, Symon continued the campaign on his return to Australia, and in 1909 moved a resolution in the Senate to call for the logs to be brought to Australia. Although the logs were never given to Australia, the original copy of the [Constitution of Australia](/source/Constitution_of_Australia) was brought to Australia in 1990, after campaigning by Prime Minister [Bob Hawke](/source/Bob_Hawke) in a tradition which historians link to Symon.[8]

Symon had a massive personal collection of approximately ten thousand books, which he ultimately bequeathed to the [State Library of South Australia](/source/State_Library_of_South_Australia). He had already donated his collection of law texts to the Law School at the University of Adelaide in 1924. Symon also wrote and published a number of books, including *Shakespeare at Home*, published in 1905, and *Shakespeare the Englishman*, published in 1929. Some of Symon's lectures on [Shakespeare](/source/Shakespeare) were published in pamphlet form.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Wright, Don. ["Sir Josiah Henry Symon (1846–1934)"](https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/symon-sir-josiah-henry-8734). *[Australian Dictionary of Biography](/source/Australian_Dictionary_of_Biography)*. National Centre of Biography, [Australian National University](/source/Australian_National_University). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-522-84459-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-522-84459-7). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [1833-7538](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/1833-7538). [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [70677943](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/70677943). Retrieved 18 January 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** [David Symon](http://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/parliament/library/MPHistoricalData.nsf/(Lookup)/F109F17B8F8F87A0482577E50028A7EF?OpenDocument) – Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 16 May 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Cormack_bio_3-0)** Browne, Geoffrey (2010). ["CORMACK, Sir Magnus Cameron (1906–1994)"](https://biography.senate.gov.au/cormack-magnus-cameron). *The Biographical Dictionary of the Australian Senate*. Retrieved 18 January 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Death of Mr. Geo. Ash, M.P."](https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article199162066) *[The Millicent Times](/source/The_Millicent_Times)*. 27 February 1897. p. 3. Retrieved 24 September 2015 – via Trove.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** William Coleman,*Their Fiery Cross of Union. A Retelling of the Creation of the Australian Federation, 1889-1914*, Connor Court, Queensland, 2021, p.306.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** William Coleman,*Their Fiery Cross of Union. A Retelling of the Creation of the Australian Federation, 1889-1914*, Connor Court, Queensland, 2021, p.415.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Au_Senate_7-0)** Wright, Don (2000). ["Symon, Sir Josiah Henry (1846–1934)"](https://biography.senate.gov.au/josiah-henry-symon). *The Biographical Dictionary of the Australian Senate*. Retrieved 18 January 2023.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-abrasive_8-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-abrasive_8-1) ["The quest for the nation's title deeds, 1901–1990"](https://web.archive.org/web/20060211093923/http://alia.org.au/publishing/alj/54.1/full.text/powell.html). *Australian Library Journal*. Archived from [the original](http://alia.org.au/publishing/alj/54.1/full.text/powell.html) on 11 February 2006. Retrieved 17 February 2006.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Search for a capital"](https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article104768251). *[Goulburn Evening Penny Post](/source/Goulburn_Evening_Penny_Post)*. 21 August 1906. p. 2. Retrieved 2 October 2021 – via Trove.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** [City of Adelaide](/source/City_of_Adelaide) (25 July 2002). ["Assessment of heritage value: Union Building Group, Adelaide University"](https://d31atr86jnqrq2.cloudfront.net/heritage-places/heritage-place-information-sheet-union-building-group.pdf) (PDF). File 17619.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["Parliamentary Library"](http://www.aph.gov.au/library/). *Parliament House of Australia*. Retrieved 17 February 2006.

- [Serle, Percival](/source/Percival_Serle) (1949). ["Symon, Josiah"](https://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks15/1500721h/0-dict-biogSt-Sy.html#symon1). *[Dictionary of Australian Biography](/source/Dictionary_of_Australian_Biography)*. Sydney: [Angus & Robertson](/source/Angus_%26_Robertson).

- ["George Reid – In office"](https://web.archive.org/web/20060221235911/http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/meetpm.asp?pmId=5&pageName=inoffice). *Australia's Prime Ministers*. Archived from [the original](http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/meetpm.asp?pmId=5&pageName=inoffice) on 21 February 2006. Retrieved 17 February 2006.

- ["Papers of Sir Josiah H. Symon"](http://www.nla.gov.au/ms/findaids/1736.html). *National Library of Australia*. Retrieved 17 February 2006.

Political offices Preceded by H.B. Higgins Attorney General of Australia 1904–1905 Succeeded by Isaac Isaacs

Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF FAST WorldCat National United States Academics CiNii People Trove Australia Other Open Library SNAC

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Josiah Symon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josiah_Symon) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josiah_Symon?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.