1. Ratcliffe Pring's Honour the Honourable Ratcliffe Pring was a lawyer, politician and the first Attorney-General in colonial Queensland.
24 Facts About Ratcliffe Pring
1. 2.
Ratcliffe Pring was educated at Shrewsbury School, and entered at the Inner Temple in November 1845, being called to the Bar in June 1849.
3.
Ratcliffe Pring practised as a barrister on the Moreton Bay, Bathurst and Goulburn court circuits of New South Wales with much success.
4.
Ratcliffe Pring was appointed as its Crown Prosecutor and a Queen's Counsel by Sir William Montagu Manning, the Solicitor-General for New South Wales.
5.
Ratcliffe Pring took up residence in Brisbane in April 1857, when the court opened.
6.
On 27 March 1860 Ratcliffe Pring was elected to the first Legislative Assembly of Queensland for the district of Eastern Downs, and served under Robert Herbert as Attorney-General in the first Ministry formed under responsible government from December 1859 to August 1865.
7.
Ratcliffe Pring was Attorney-General in the Robert Mackenzie Ministry from August 1867 to November 1868; in the Charles Lilley Government from November 1869 to May 1870; and in the first Thomas McIlwraith Administration from May 1879 to June 1880, when he accepted a puisne judgeship of the Supreme Court of Queensland.
8.
Ratcliffe Pring served as member of the Queensland Legislative Council from 24 April 1862 to 26 May 1863.
9.
Ratcliffe Pring served in the Assembly for Ipswich from 30 May 1863 to 4 August 1866; for Burnett from 22 April 1867 to 17 August 1870.
10.
Ratcliffe Pring was elected in Town of Brisbane on 17 August 1870.
11.
Ratcliffe Pring contributed to many acrimonious debates in 1871, which culminated in January 1871 in physical violence.
12.
On 10 January 1871, Ratcliffe Pring repeatedly interrupted the member for Clermont, Oscar de Satge.
13.
Ratcliffe Pring called on the Speaker to rebuke Clark, which he did.
14.
Ratcliffe Pring then proposed that Clark exit parliament for five minutes to "settle all things", which the Speaker declared to be out of order.
15.
Ratcliffe Pring then threatened to kick Clark, by which time the Legislative Assembly was in an uproar with the Speaker unable to restore order.
16.
Ratcliffe Pring then rose as if to leave the Assembly, but, as he walked past Clark, he attacked Clark by grabbing his collar with one hand and tugged at Clark's beard with the other hand, yelling "Come outside and we will settle it".
17.
The Sergeant-at-Arms went to Ratcliffe Pring saying "I take you in charge".
18.
However, Ratcliffe Pring did not apologise but resigned the following day, evidently believing that would bring the matter to an end.
19.
Ratcliffe Pring returned to Brisbane triumphant, where he addressed a crowd of sympathisers from the balcony of the Australian Hotel in Albert Street, promising that he would return to Parliament.
20.
Ratcliffe Pring was elected in Carnarvon from 25 November 1873 to 2 January 1874.
21.
However, Ratcliffe Pring was later elected in Brisbane City from 12 February 1878 to 15 November 1878 and for Fortitude Valley from 26 November 1878 to 28 May 1879.
22.
In 1863 Ratcliffe Pring was offered the position of first Chief Justice of Queensland, over the head of the Judge Alfred Lutwyche, but declined the post, and Sir James Cockle was appointed.
23.
Ratcliffe Pring died at his residence in Brisbane on Thursday 26 March 1885, after a 14-month illness, of cardiac asthma.
24.
Ratcliffe Pring was a tenant of the now heritage-listed Newstead House in Brisbane.