Edward Barton (politician)
| Edward Barton | |
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| Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Brisbane North |
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In office 5 February 1908 – 2 October 1909 Serving with Edward Forrest |
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| Preceded by | John Cameron |
| Succeeded by | Edward Macartney |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Edward Gustavus Campbell Barton 11 December 1857 Toorak, Victoria, Australia |
| Died | 14 June 1942 (aged 84) Watford, Hertfordshire, England |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Political party | Kidston Socialists |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Allen Sutton (m.1893) |
| Alma mater | Karlsruhe University, Otago University |
| Occupation | Electrical engineer |
Edward Gustavus Campbell Barton (11 December 1857 – 14 June 1942) was an electrical engineer and a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly.
Barton was born in Toorak, Victoria, to parents George Elliott Barton, a barrister from Ireland, and his Scottish wife, Jane Crichton (née Campbell). After receiving his schooling in Dunedin, New Zealand, he studied electrical engineering at Otago University and then Karlsruhe University in Germany. After gaining further experience at his profession in Scotland, Barton became superintendent of England's first commercial electric-lighting system in Godalming, Surrey.
He then became a consultant in both New Zealand and Australia where he installed electrical plant for the Phoenix Gold Mines at Gympie in Queensland and also worked for the Australasian Electric Light, Power & Storage Co. In 1886 he was employed to complete lighting installations at Parliament House and the government printing office in Brisbane before resigning in 1888 to go into business with C. F. White. This partnership began supplying electricity to the public from their Edison Lane premises by means of a direct-current generator driven by a steam-engine.
Although their first customer was the General Post Office, the pair found competition from gas companies and general conservatism to this new idea a major hurdle and in 1896 the company was liquidated. Barton then formed the Brisbane Electric Supply Co. Ltd and within a few years had moved from Edison Lane to new premises in Ann street where in 1901 he installed the first steam turbine in the state. The company was renamed the City Electric Light Co. Ltd in 1904 and Barton later resigned to once again act as a consultant.
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