Ratcliffe Pring

{{Short description|Australian politician}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}} {{Use Australian English|date=August 2021}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = The Hon | name = Ratcliffe Pring | honorific_suffix = '''{{post-nominals|country=AUS|size=100%|sep=,|QC}}''' | image = StateLibQld 1 158544 Ratcliffe Pring (1825 - 1885).jpg | caption = | office = 1st Attorney-General of Queensland | governor = George Bowen | premier = Robert Herbert<br>Arthur Macalister | term_start = 12 December 1859 | term_end = 30 August 1865 | successor = John Bramston | governor1 = George Bowen | premier1 = Robert Herbert | term_start1 = 21 July 1866 | term_end1 = 7 August 1866 | predecessor1 = Charles Lilley | successor1 = Charles Lilley | governor2 = George Bowen<br>Samuel Blackall | premier2 = Robert Mackenzie | term_start2 = 15 August 1867 | term_end2 = 25 November 1868 | predecessor2 = Charles Lilley | successor2 = Charles Lilley | governor3 = Samuel Blackall | premier3 = Charles Lilley | term_start3 = 12 November 1869 | term_end3 = 3 May 1870 | predecessor3 = Charles Lilley | successor3 = John Bramston | governor4 = George Phipps | premier4 = Arthur Macalister | term_start4 = 2 January 1874 | term_end4 = 8 January 1874 | predecessor4 = John Bramston | successor4 = Edward MacDevitt | governor5 = Arthur Kennedy | premier5 = Thomas McIlwraith | term_start5 = 16 May 1879 | term_end5 = 4 June 1880 | predecessor5 = John Malbon Thompson | successor5 = Henry Beor {{Collapsed infobox section begin|Constituencies|titlestyle=background-color:#eee}} | constituency_AM6 = Eastern Downs | assembly6 = Queensland Legislative | term_start6 = 27 April 1860 | term_end6 = 22 April 1862 | predecessor6 = New seat | successor6 = John Donald McLean | constituency_AM7 = Town of Ipswich | assembly7 = Queensland Legislative | term_start7 = 30 May 1863 | term_end7 = 4 August 1866 | predecessor7 = Frederick Forbes | successor7 = George Reed | alongside7 = Henry Challinor, Arthur Macalister | constituency_AM8 = Burnett | assembly8 = Queensland Legislative | term_start8 = 22 April 1867 | term_end8 = 17 August 1870 | predecessor8 = Charles Robert Haly | successor8 = Berkeley Moreton | alongside8 = Robert Mackenzie, Charles Haly | constituency_AM9 = Town of Brisbane | assembly9 = Queensland Legislative | term_start9 = 17 August 1870 | term_end9 = 11 January 1872 | predecessor9 = Simon Fraser | successor9 = John Handy | alongside9 = Kevin O'Doherty, George Edmondstone | constituency_AM10 = Carnarvon | assembly10 = Queensland Legislative | term_start10 = 25 November 1873 | term_end10 = 2 January 1874 | predecessor10 = New seat | successor10 = William Miles | constituency_AM11 = Brisbane City | assembly11 = Queensland Legislative | term_start11 = 12 February 1878 | term_end11 = 15 November 1878 | predecessor11 = Simon Fraser | successor11 = Seat abolished | constituency_AM12 = Fortitude Valley | assembly12 = Queensland Legislative | term_start12 = 26 November 1878 | term_end12 = 28 May 1879 | predecessor12 = Francis Beattie | successor12 = Francis Beattie | office13 = Member of the Queensland Legislative Council | term_start13 = 24 April 1862 | term_end13 = 26 May 1863 {{Collapsed infobox section end}} | birth_date = {{Birth date|1825|10|17|df=y}} | birth_place = Crediton, Devon, England | death_date = {{Death date and age|1885|3|26|1825|10|17|df=y}} | death_place = Brisbane, Queensland | resting_place = Toowong Cemetery | spouse = Frances Pye | party = | relations = | children = | education = Shrewsbury School | alma_mater = | occupation = Barrister, Judge | profession = | signature = }}

His Honour the Honourable '''Ratcliffe Pring''' (17 October 1825 – 26 March 1885)<ref name=obit> {{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3440442 |title=The Late Mr. Justice Pring. |newspaper=The Brisbane Courier |date=27 March 1885 |accessdate=27 August 2014 |page=5 |publisher=National Library of Australia }} </ref> was a lawyer, politician and the first Attorney-General in colonial Queensland.<ref name=Mennell>{{cite Australasia|Pring, His Honour the Hon. Ratcliffe}}</ref>

==Early life== Pring was born on 17 October 1825 at Crediton, Devon, England, the second son of Thomas E. Pring, solicitor. He was educated at Shrewsbury School, and entered at the Inner Temple in November 1845, being called to the Bar in June 1849.<ref name=obit/><ref name=Mennell/>

Pring suffered from bronchitis which motivated him to immigrate to Australia, arriving in Sydney in 1853. He practised as a barrister on the Moreton Bay, Bathurst and Goulburn court circuits of New South Wales with much success.<ref name=obit/><ref name=Mennell/>

In 1857 a Northern Supreme Court for New South Wales was established in Brisbane. Pring was appointed as its Crown Prosecutor and a Queen's Counsel by Sir William Montagu Manning, the Solicitor-General for New South Wales. Pring took up residence in Brisbane in April 1857, when the court opened.<ref name=obit/><ref name=Mennell/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3723097 |title=Opening of the Supreme Court. |newspaper=The Moreton Bay Courier |location=Brisbane, Qld. |date=18 April 1857 |accessdate=28 January 2014 |page=2 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

==Political life== On 27 March 1860 Pring was elected to the first Legislative Assembly of Queensland for the district of Eastern Downs, and served under (later Sir) Robert Herbert as Attorney-General in the first Ministry formed under responsible government from December 1859 to August 1865.<ref name=Mennell/> In the second Herbert Ministry he filled the same office from July to August 1866. He was also Attorney-General in the Robert Mackenzie Ministry from August 1867 to November 1868; in the Charles Lilley Government from November 1869 to May 1870; and in the first Thomas McIlwraith Administration from May 1879 to June 1880, when he accepted a puisne judgeship of the Supreme Court of Queensland.<ref name=Mennell/><ref name=parl>{{Cite QldMLA|accessdate=27 April 2020}}</ref>

Pring served as member of the Queensland Legislative Council from 24 April 1862 to 26 May 1863. He also served in the Assembly for Ipswich from 30 May 1863 to 4 August 1866; for Burnett from 22 April 1867 to 17 August 1870.

He was elected in Town of Brisbane on 17 August 1870.<ref name=parl/> He contributed to many acrimonious debates in 1871, which culminated in January 1871 in physical violence. On 10 January 1871, Pring repeatedly interrupted the member for Clermont, Oscar de Satge. Clark (member for Warwick) complained about Pring's ''"extremely offensive and personal remarks in regard to the Member for Clermont"'' and proceeded to make insulting remarks about Pring. Pring called on the Speaker (Arthur Macalister) to rebuke Clark, which he did. Pring then proposed that Clark exit parliament for five minutes to ''"settle all things"'', which the Speaker declared to be out of order. Pring responded by calling Clark ''"the dirty wretch"''. The Speaker told Pring not to continue this behaviour. Pring then threatened to kick Clark, by which time the Legislative Assembly was in an uproar with the Speaker unable to restore order. Clark and Pring continued to trade insults. Pring then rose as if to leave the Assembly, but, as he walked past Clark, he attacked Clark by grabbing his collar with one hand and tugged at Clark's beard with the other hand, yelling ''"Come outside and we will settle it"''. The Sergeant-at-Arms went to Pring saying ''"I take you in charge"''. Pring responded ''"Do you? You will have to catch me first!"'' and then raced out of the chamber, and the Sergeant-at-Arms was unable to catch him. The Speaker then issued a warrant for Pring's arrest for his contempt of Parliament (the first time this had occurred in the Queensland Parliament), but did not sign it in order to allow Pring to end the matter by apologising, calling on Pring to attend the House on 16 January. However, Pring did not apologise but resigned the following day (11 January), evidently believing that would bring the matter to an end. However, on 22 January, the Speaker, in the absence of an apology from Pring, proceeded with the warrant and Pring was arrested in Dalby where Pring had gone on Court business. However, the police did not know what action to take after arresting Pring as he could not be delivered to the Parliament which was now in recess, so they ended up releasing him. Pring returned to Brisbane triumphant, where he addressed a crowd of sympathisers from the balcony of the Australian Hotel in Albert Street, promising that he would return to Parliament.<ref>{{cite book|last=Lack|first=Clem|title=Three decades of Queensland political history, 1929-1960|date=1962|publisher=S. G. Reid, Queensland Government Printer}}</ref>

He was elected in Carnarvon from 25 November 1873 to 2 January 1874.<ref name=parl/>

Following the retirement of Thomas Blacket Stephens due to illness, in May 1875 Pring stood for election for the South Brisbane seat in the Queensland Legislative Assembly, but was defeated by Richard Ash Kingsford.<ref> {{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1399248 |title=South Brisbane Election. |newspaper=The Brisbane Courier |location=Qld. |date=27 May 1875 |accessdate=7 October 2012 |page=2 |publisher=National Library of Australia }}</ref>

However, Pring was later elected in Brisbane City from 12 February 1878 to 15 November 1878 and for Fortitude Valley from 26 November 1878 to 28 May 1879.<ref name=parl/>

In 1863 Pring was offered the position of first Chief Justice of Queensland, over the head of the Judge Alfred Lutwyche, but declined the post, and Sir James Cockle was appointed.<ref name=Mennell/>

==Later life== Pring died at his residence in Brisbane on Thursday 26 March 1885, after a 14-month illness, of cardiac asthma.<ref name=obit/><ref> {{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article82092430 |title=Local and General News. |newspaper=Warwick Examiner and Times |location=Qld. |date=28 March 1885 |accessdate=28 January 2014 |page=2 |publisher=National Library of Australia }}</ref> He was buried in Toowong Cemetery.<ref name=bcc> {{cite web |title=Pring, Ratcliffe |url=https://online.brisbane.qld.gov.au/cemeteries/cemeteries_step3.jsp?mapdisplay=142485 |work=Grave Location Search|publisher=Brisbane City Council |accessdate=27 January 2014 }}</ref> He left his wife almost destitute.<ref> {{Australian Dictionary of Biography |first=W. Ross |last=Johnston |title=Pring, Ratcliffe (1825–1885) |id2=pring-ratcliffe-4416 |accessdate=14 July 2013 }} </ref>

==Miscellaneous== Ratcliffe Pring was a tenant of the now heritage-listed Newstead House in Brisbane.<ref> {{cite web |title = History and Virtual Tour |url = http://www.newsteadhouse.com.au/history/history.htm |publisher = The Newstead House Trust |accessdate = 3 October 2013 |url-status = dead |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20131005020653/http://www.newsteadhouse.com.au/history/history.htm |archivedate = 5 October 2013 |df = dmy-all }}</ref>

==References== {{commons category|Ratcliffe Pring}} {{Reflist}}

{{s-start}} {{s-par|au-qld}} {{s-new|seat}} {{s-ttl|title=Member for Eastern Downs|years=1860 – 1862}} {{s-aft|after=John Donald McLean}}

{{s-bef|before=Frederick Forbes}} {{s-ttl|title=Member for Town of Ipswich|years=1863 – 1866|alongside=Henry Challinor, Arthur Macalister}} {{s-aft|after=George Reed}}

{{s-bef|before=Charles Robert Haly}} {{s-ttl|title=Member for Burnett|years=1867 – 1870|alongside=Robert Mackenzie, Charles Haly}} {{s-aft|after=Berkeley Moreton}}

{{s-bef|before=Simon Fraser}} {{s-ttl|title=Member for Town of Brisbane|years=1870 – 1872|alongside=Kevin O'Doherty, George Edmondstone}} {{s-aft|after=John Handy}}

{{s-bef|before=Francis Beattie}} {{s-ttl|title=Member for Fortitude Valley|years=1878 – 1879}} {{s-aft|after=Francis Beattie}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pring, Ratcliffe}} Category:1825 births Category:1885 deaths Category:People from Crediton Category:Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly Category:Members of the Queensland Legislative Council Category:Burials at Toowong Cemetery Category:English emigrants to colonial Australia Category:Attorneys-general of Queensland Category:Colony of Queensland judges Category:Judges of the Supreme Court of Queensland Category:Colony of Queensland people Category:19th-century Australian politicians Category:19th-century Australian judges Category:Australian King's Counsel