Justin Foxton

The Honourable Justin Foxton CMG
Member of the Australian Parliament for Brisbane
In office 12 December 1906 – 13 April 1910
Preceded by	Millice Culpin
Succeeded by	William Finlayson
Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Carnarvon
In office 1 October 1883 – 27 August 1904
Preceded by	John Tyrel
Succeeded by	Adolphus Barton
Personal details
Born	(1849-09-24)24 September 1849 Melbourne, Victoria
Died	23 June 1916(1916-06-23) (aged 66) Brisbane, Queensland
Resting place	Toowong Cemetery
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Anti-Socialist (1906–09) Liberal (1909–10)
Spouse	Emily Mary Panton
Occupation	Solicitor

Justin Fox Greenlaw Foxton CMG (24 September 1849 – 23 June 1916) was an Australian politician, barrister and soldier.

Biography

Foxton was born in Melbourne and educated at the private Melbourne Church of England Grammar School, graduating in 1862. He moved to Queensland in 1864 where he was admitted to the bar in 1871. He practised as a solicitor at Stanthorpe, and then went to Brisbane and entered into partnership with his old mentor, J. M. Thompson. Foxton held the Legislative Assembly seat of Carnarvon from 1883 until 1904. Defeated at the 1904 elections he entered federal politics as a member for Brisbane in the House of Representatives in 1906, and was minister without portfolio in the third Deakin ministry from June 1909 to April 1910, when he was defeated at the general election.

Foxton joined the old volunteer forces when a very young man and rose to be brigadier in command of the Queensland field force (Commonwealth military forces). He represented Australia at the Imperial conference on naval and military defence of empire in 1909, and was for some time aide-de-camp to the Governor General of Australia. He was keenly interested in cricket, was president of the Queensland Cricket Association, chairman of trustees of the Brisbane Cricket Ground, and a member of the Australian Board of Control. Foxton brought in a Factories and Shops Act in 1896 which showed a distinct advance in humanitarian legislation, and its provisions were further extended in his factories and shops act of 1900. These acts made him justly known as the father of shop and factory legislation in Queensland. He also implemented the 1901 Aboriginals Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act. This Act, the first effective such measure in Queensland, implemented a system of policed missions and reserves and stopped some female exploitation.

Foxton died at Brisbane of cerebro-vascular disease and was buried at Toowong Cemetery in Brisbane.

References

• Serle, Percival (1949). "Foxton, Justin Fox Greenlaw". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Sydney: Angus & Robertson. Retrieved 25 October 2008.
• Justin Fox Greenlaw (1849 - 1916) — Australian Dictionary of Biography