Peter Faucett

Peter Faucett (1813 – 22 May 1894) was an Australian barrister, jurist and politician. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council between 1888 and 1894 and a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly between 1856 and 1865. He held the position of Solicitor-General in the first government of James Martin.

Early life

Faucett was the son of a Dublin blacksmith. He was educated at Trinity College and subsequently studied law. He was called to the Irish Bar in 1845 and emigrated to Sydney in 1852 where he established a large, private legal practice.

Colonial Parliament

Faucett was as a member of the first New South Wales Legislative Assembly which was elected after the establishment of responsible self-government in 1856. He was elected as the member for King and Georgiana and retained the seat, unopposed, at the 1858 colonial election. Faucett was not a candidate at the 1859 election and was an unsuccessful candidate at the 1859 East Maitland by-election caused by the resignation of Joseph Chambers who had accepted a position as Crown Prosecutor in the Western Districts of New South Wales. Faucett was also unsuccessful at a ministerial by-election for the four member seat of East Sydney in November 1859 but eventually re-entered parliament as the member for that seat after winning a 1860 by-election caused by the resignation of Charles Cowper. However he was subsequently defeated at the general election held later that year. Faucett again entered parliament as the member for Yass Plains at a 1861 by-election caused by the resignation, due to ill-health of the incumbent Henry O'Brien. He retained the seat until his resignation from the Assembly in 1865 to accept an appointment to the bench of the New South Wales Supreme Court. After retiring from the bench in 1888 he accepted a life appointment to the Legislative Council, which he retained until his death. Faucett was a founder of St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney and St John's College, University of Sydney.^[1]

Government

Faucett's only ministerial appointment was as Solicitor-General in the first government of James Martin. It has been said that his career in public office was unspectacular but he had an earnest desire to see justice done and was a "plain-spoken, sober-sided, solid man".^[2]

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