James Service (27 November 1823 – 13 April 1899),
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
n colonial
politicianA politician or political leader is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making. This includes people who hold decision-making positions in government, and people who seek those positions, whether by means of election, coup d'état, appointment, electoral fraud, conquest,...
, was the 12th Premier of Victoria. Service was born in
KilwinningKilwinning is a historic town situated in North Ayrshire, Scotland.It is known as The Crossroads of Ayrshire.-History:...
,
AyrshireAyrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the last seven...
,
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, and as a young man worked in a
GlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
tea importing business. In 1853 he arrived in
MelbourneMelbourne is the capital city and most populous city of the State of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne city centre is the anchor of the larger geographical area and statistical division known as the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area – of which Melbourne is...
as a company representative, and the following year went into business on his own forming James Service and Company, importers and wholesale merchants, which became a large and prosperous organization still in business many years after his death.
James Service (27 November 1823 – 13 April 1899),
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
n colonial
politicianA politician or political leader is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making. This includes people who hold decision-making positions in government, and people who seek those positions, whether by means of election, coup d'état, appointment, electoral fraud, conquest,...
, was the 12th Premier of Victoria. Service was born in
KilwinningKilwinning is a historic town situated in North Ayrshire, Scotland.It is known as The Crossroads of Ayrshire.-History:...
,
AyrshireAyrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the last seven...
,
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, and as a young man worked in a
GlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
tea importing business. In 1853 he arrived in
MelbourneMelbourne is the capital city and most populous city of the State of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne city centre is the anchor of the larger geographical area and statistical division known as the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area – of which Melbourne is...
as a company representative, and the following year went into business on his own forming James Service and Company, importers and wholesale merchants, which became a large and prosperous organization still in business many years after his death. He was a founding member of the Emerald Hill municipal council (now
South MelbourneSouth Melbourne is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area are the Cities of Port Phillip and Melbourne...
), and became a prominent banker and representative of business interests.
Service was elected to the
Victorian Legislative AssemblyThe Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of Victoria in Australia. The other is the Legislative Council. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Melbourne....
for Melbourne in 1857, retaining this seat until 1859. He represented Ripon and Hampden 1859-1862,
MaldonMaldon is a town in Victoria, Australia, in the Shire of Mount Alexander local government area. It has been designated "Australia's first notable town" and is celebrated for its 19th-century appearance, maintained since gold-rush days...
1874-1881 and
CastlemaineCastlemaine is a city in Victoria, Australia, in the "Goldfields" region about 120 kilometres northwest by road from Melbourne, and about 40 kilometres from the major provincial centre of Bendigo...
1883-1886. He was a moderate liberal in the context of Victorian politics, but as a free trader he increasingly sided with the conservatives, since all the more radical liberals were protectionists. He was President of the Board of Land and Works in the
NicholsonWilliam Nicholson was an Australian colonial politician who became the third Premier of Victoria. He is remembered for having been called the "father of the ballot" due to his responsibility in introducing the secret ballot in Victoria.Nicholson was born in Whitehaven, Cumberland, the son of an...
government 1859-1860 and Treasurer in the
KerferdGeorge Briscoe Kerferd , Australian colonial politician, was the 10th Premier of Victoria.Kerferd was born in Liverpool, the son of G. B. Kerferd, a merchant. Kerferd was educated at the Collegiate Institute, Liverpool, with intentions of studying law; however circumstances led him to enter his...
government 1874-1875. His attempt to cut tariffs in his 1875 budget led to the fall of Kerferd's government.
When
Graham BerrySir Graham Berry KCMG , Australian colonial politician, was the 11th Premier of Victoria. He was one of the most Radical and colourful figures in the politics of colonial Victoria, and made the most determined efforts to break the power of the Victorian Legislative Council, the stronghold of the...
's radical ministry fell in March 1880, Service formed a minority government. In May Service admitted that he could not go on and asked the Governor, Lord Normanby, for a dissolution, which was granted. But the elections did not improve Service's position and in August he resigned, allowing Berry to return to power.
In March 1883 the liberals under Berry's successor, Sir
Bryan O'LoghlenSir Bryan O'Loghlen, 3rd Baronet , Australian colonial politician, was the 13th Premier of Victoria....
were defeated at elections, and Service formed a new and much stronger government, taking the Treasury as well as the Premiership. When Service agreed not to attempt to reduce tariffs, Berry joined him as a minister: such was the fluidity of party politics at this time. The young
Alfred DeakinAlfred Deakin , Australian politician, was a leader of the movement for Australian federation and later second Prime Minister of Australia. In the last quarter of the nineteenth century, Deakin was a major contributor to the establishment of liberal reforms in the colony of Victoria, including...
held office for the first time in this government. The Service government lasted three years and passed some important legislation, including a Public Service Act which removed political patronage from the public service, a new Factories Act and a new Lands Act.
In June 1883, at a banquet at
AlburyAlbury is a city in New South Wales, Australia, located on the Hume Highway on the northern side of the Murray River. It is also a Local Government Area, administered by Albury City Council...
celebrating the opening of the railway line between Sydney and Melbourne, Service raised the question of Australian federation. He supported Sir
Thomas McIlwraithSir Thomas McIlwraith KCMG was for many years the dominant figure of colonial politics in Queensland. He was Premier of Queensland from 1877 to 1883, again in 1888, and for a third time in 1893...
in his action with regard to the annexation of
New GuineaNew Guinea, located north of Australia, is the world's second largest island. It became separated from the Australian mainland when the area now known as the Torres Strait flooded after the last glacial period. The name Papua has long been associated with the island...
, and suggested the inter-colonial conference which was held at Sydney in November 1883. There a bill constituting a federal council was framed which was carried by Service through the Victorian parliament in 1884. Service himself desired the establishment of a federal government, but the other premiers were comparatively lukewarm and the proposed council was to have very limited powers.
By the time of the 1886 election Service was in declining health and decided to retire from active politics. In 1888 he was elected to the
Victorian Legislative CouncilThe Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Victoria, Australia. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit in Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. It serves as a house of review, in a similar fashion to its federal counterpart, the...
for Melbourne Province, and served there until his death in 1899.