Thomas Joseph Byrnes

Thomas Joseph Byrnes (11 November 1860 – 27 September 1898) was Premier of Queensland from April 1898 until his death, having previously served in several ministerial positions in his parliamentary career.Rosemary Howard Gill, , Australian Dictionary of Biography, Vol. 7, Melbourne University Press, 1979, pp 517-519. Retrieved 19 April 2010

Early life

Byrnes was born in Spring Hill, Brisbane, Queensland, to Irish immigrants Patrick Byrnes and his wife Anna, née Tighe. Byrnes was educated at Bowen Primary School, then, winning a scholarship where topped the state, he studied at Brisbane Grammar School and then studied arts and law at the University of Melbourne, graduating with honours in both. In 1882-83 Byrnes taught at Xavier College.

Career

Byrnes was admitted as a barrister in Victoria on 8 July 1884 and returned for a Queensland admission on 5 August; he then began a successful career as a barrister. Byrnes' talent brought him to the attention of fellow barrister Sir Samuel Griffith, then Premier of Queensland, who had him appointed Solicitor-General with a seat in the Legislative Council. Byrnes stood down from the Legislative Council to successfully stand for Cairns in the Legislative Assembly in 1893.

Byrnes continued his private law practice and participated in two major Supreme Court of Queensland cases. In the Queensland......
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