Page:History of Adelaide and vicinity.djvu/269

 Hon. Sir R. c. Baker ADELAIDE AND VICINITY 243 On April 7, 1868, Sir Richard was returned to Parliament by the Barossa Electorate for the House of Assembly at the head of the poll. His first essay augured well and reflected credit on the able manner in which he prosecuted his campaign, as he had for one of his opponents a Minister of the Crown, the late Hon. P. .Santo. Opportunities came to the new member, and they were grasped, and the MoLise found that it had to reckon with one not only effective in debate, but strong and energetic in character. Until 1 87 1 Sir Richard continued as the representative of H;iros.sa ; and during that time he had for his colleague the late Hon. P. Santo, and afterwards the Hon. W. Duffield. That his talent and energy were apjireciated by his fellow members in the House of Assembly, is shown by the facts that shortly after his entrance into public life he was offered by Mr. (now Sir J. P.) Boucaut a seat in the Strangways Ministry. This honor he refused, and at the age of 29, having been a member for little over two years, he was unanimou.sly chosen to move a want of confidence motion in the Strangways Ministry. The motion was carried with perhaps the greatest relative majority on record in similar cases, the Ministry having but one supporter when the division was taken. It is a curious and perhaps unexampled coincidence that Sir Richard's father, the Hon. John Baker, also on the same day carried in the Legislative Council a vote of want of confidence in the same Ministry. As a result of these motions, the late Hon. J. fLirt was sent for to form a Ministry, and in May, 1870, Sir Richard accepted the portfolio of Attorney-General in the Hart Ministry. He held this Ministerial office for 14 months, and then the assumption of the superintendence of his father's business (who died in 1872, after a protracted illness) necessitated his temporary withdrawal from so onerous a public post. On his retire- ment the Register newspaper said: " He assumed the post of Attorney-General when he had been but a short time in public life, and when he had still much to learn ; but we think the general verdict of the country will be that he has discharged his official duties with energy and ability, and adanced himself in jniblic estimation by his administrative career." The Premier, the Hon. John Hart, in an official letter, said " that in expressing our entire satisfaction as a Cabinet with the ability and judgment with which you have filled the office of Attorney-General, we are only stating what we feel assured is also the general opinion of the public." He was then offered the position of a Queen's Council, which, however, he did not accept till many years after. On the dissolution of the HoLise of Assembly by effiuxion of time, Sir Richard did not stand for re-election, private affairs requiring his undivided attention. When the.se matters were adjusted, Sir Richard took a trip to England, taking with him authority to represent South Australia at the Vienna International Exhibition. Almost immediately after his return, viz., in Eebruary, 1875, he, although not a member of Parliament, was offered a seat in the then Cabinet by .Sir Arthur Blyth (then Premier) as Minister of Justice and Pxlucation. This honor was declined, as he has both before and subsequently frequently declined offers to join various Governments. In May, 1875, he offered himself for election to the House of Assembly for his old constituency, Barossa ; but on this, and on this occasion only, he was unsuccessful in his candidature