Sir Joseph George Long Innes - Journal of a voyage from Sydney to London, 1856

MLMSS 6201/Box 1X

fonds

1856

133557

0.16 metres of textual material (1 outsize box)
Textual Records - (manuscript)

Sir Joseph George Long Innes (1834-1896), politician and judge, was born on 16 October 1834 in Sydney. The eldest son of Major Joseph Long Innes, superintendent of police, and grandson of Mary Reibey, he was educated at W.T. Cape's school and The King's School, Parramatta.
Innes became a clerk in the Survey Department at 17 and clerk of Petty Sessions and of Gold Commissioner Zouch at Sofala in December 1851. In 1854 he became Associate to Chief Justice Stephen. In 1856 he travelled to London to study law, and was called to the Bar in 1859, where he practised until he returned to Sydney in 1862. He was admitted to the New South Wales Bar in February 1863. On 5 July 1865 he married Emily Janet Smith. After serving as a Queensland District Court judge, he returned to the New South Wales Bar in 1869.
In March 1872 Innes was elected to the Legislative Assembly for Mudgee and in May joined Henry Parkes's first ministry as solicitor-general. In September 1873 he was appointed to the Legislative Council and later became attorney-general. Innes was knighted in January 1875. During 1880-1881 he was minister for justice in the Parkes-Robertson coalition, and was appointed a puisne judge of the Supreme Court in October 1881.
Interested in drama and art, he was a trustee of the Free Public Library from 1879 and of the National Art Gallery of New South Wales. He was also on the committee of the Goodenough Royal Naval House. Innes died in England on 28 October 1896. He was survived by his wife, five sons and one daughter.

The Journal was written between January and April 1856, when Joseph George Long Innes was a twenty-two year old passenger on the 'Nimroud', en route to London to study law.