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Edward Gustavus Campbell Barton
(1857–1942)

Biographical

Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society 1914
Fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society 1909
Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Brisbane North 1908–09

Barton was educated in Dunedin, New Zealand, trained as an engineer in Scotland, and undertook advanced study in Germany at the Karlsruhe Polytechnische Schule between 1875 and 1879. After gaining early professional experience in Britain, he returned to Australasia as a consulting engineer and soon became a leading figure in the introduction and expansion of electric lighting and power in Queensland. Over the course of his career he held many senior technical, managerial and advisory positions, playing a formative role in the growth of the State’s electricity-supply industry and in the adoption of new electrical technologies. Strongly committed to education, Barton lectured for many years at the Brisbane Technical College, was an active advocate for technical training, and supported the establishment of a local university, later serving on the inaugural senate of the University of Queensland. He was prominent in professional engineering bodies, contributed widely to technical literature, and was known for his progressive views on electrical systems and transport. Regarded as practical, energetic and generous with his knowledge, he also took a close interest in sport and social issues and was active in public service. During and after the First World War Baron worked in Britain in government roles, assisted by his fluency in several European languages, and later became closely associated with the British Decimal Association. After the war he made Europe his home, though he returned to Australia on several occasions in the 1920s.

Place of birth: Toorak, Melbourne
Place of marriage: Brisbane
Place of death: Watford, Hertfordshire, England

Son of George Barton and Jane Campbell, he married Mary Sutton, †1935, in 1893, and had issue:
•  Joseph George Elliott