Sir Edmund Barton (1849-1920) was the first Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia, having previously been a leading advocate of Federation and one of the draftsmen of the Australian Constitution. He served as Prime Minister from 1 January 1901 until 23 September 1903, and then resigned to become the senior puisne judge of the newly-established High Court of Australia.
Edmund Barton was the fourth and youngest son of William Barton (1795-1881) and Mary Louisa, née Whydah, who had emigrated from England to New South Wales in 1827. An elder brother was the barrister, journalist and author George B. Barton (1836-1901). On 28 December 1877 Edmund Barton married Jane (Jean) Mason Ross (1851-1938). Their children were Edmund Alfred (b. 1879), Wilfrid Alexander (b. 1880), Jean Alice (b. 1882), Arnold Hubert (b. 1884), Oswald (b. 1888) and Leila Stephanie (b. 1892).
| Date | Event | |
| 1849 | Born in Glebe, Sydney, 18 January | |
| 1859-64 | Attended Sydney Grammar School | |
| 1865-67 | Attended University of Sydney | |
| 1870 | Graduated as a Master of Arts | |
| 1871 | Called to Bar in Sydney | |
| 1879-82 | Member of Legislative Assembly (University of Sydney seat) | |
| 1882-87 | Member of Legislative Assembly (seat of East Sydney) | |
| 1883-87 | Speaker of the Legislative Assembly | |
| 1887-91 | Member of the Legislative Council | |
| 1887 | Attorney-General in the Dibbs Protectionist Ministry | |
| 1891 | New South Wales delegate at the Federal Convention in Sydney | |
| 1891-94 | Member of the Legislative Assembly (East Sydney) | |
| 1891-92 | Attorney-General in the Dibbs Protectionist Ministry | |
| 1894 | Defeated in the general election (seat of Randwick) | |
| 1894-97 | Led the Federation movement in New South Wales | |
| 1897-98 | New South Wales delegate at the Australasian Federal Convention and chairman of the drafting and constitutional committees | |
| 1897-98 | 1897-98 Member of the Legislative Council | |
| 1898 | Defeated by George Reid in the general election (seat of Sydney (King Division)) | |
| 1898-1900 | Member of the Legislative Assembly (seat of Hastings and Macleay) | |
| 1899 | Leader of the Australian delegation to London | |
| 1900 | Appointed first Prime Minister of Australia and Minister for External Affairs, 31 December | |
| 1901 | Appointed a Privy Councillor, 24 January | |
| 1901-3 | Member of the House of Representatives (seat of Hunter) | |
| 1902 | Attended Colonial Conference and Coronation of King Edward VII | |
| 1902 | Knighted (GCMG) | |
| 1903 | Resigned as Prime Minister, 23 September | |
| 1903-20 | Senior puisne justice of the High Court of Australia | |
| 1915 | Visited England | |
| 1920 | Died at Medlow Bath, Blue Mountains, 7 January | |