13 Facts About Arthur Blyth

The son of William Blyth and his wife, Sarah Wilkins, he was born at Birmingham, England on 21 March 1823.

Arthur Blyth interested himself in municipal work and was a member of the central road board.

Arthur Blyth came back to the ministry as Treasurer in February 1862, and was selected as one of the three representatives of South Australia at the intercolonial conference held in Melbourne in March and April 1863.

On 4 August 1864, Arthur Blyth, taking the positions of premier and commissioner of crown lands and immigration, formed his first ministry, but it was difficult to do useful work, much time being wasted in no-confidence motions.

Arthur Blyth resigned on 22 March 1865, was Treasurer in the third ministry formed by Henry Ayers but was out of office again in little more than a month.

Arthur Blyth was Treasurer again in the first John Hart ministry in September 1868, but this ministry was defeated three weeks later.

Arthur Blyth took the position of commissioner of crown lands and immigration in the second Hart ministry, which lasted from 30 May 1870 to 10 November 1871, when Blyth formed his second ministry, but resigned only ten weeks later.

On 25 March 1876 Arthur Blyth became Treasurer in the third Boucaut ministry which resigned less than three months later.

Arthur Blyth was a councillor of the Oxford Military College in Cowley and Oxford Oxfordshire from 1876 to 1896.

Arthur Blyth was a representative of South Australia at the 1887 colonial conference.

Arthur Blyth married Jessie Ann Forrest, a daughter of Edward Forrest of Birmingham, on 5 March 1850; she died two weeks after her husband.

The Hundred of Arthur Blyth was named for him in 1871.

Arthur Blyth was knighted KCMG in 1877 and appointed CB in 1886.