Robert Philp
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The Honourable Sir Robert Philp KCMG |
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| 15th Premier of Queensland | |
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In office 17 December 1899 – 17 September 1903 |
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| Preceded by | Anderson Dawson |
| Succeeded by | Arthur Morgan |
| Constituency | Townsville |
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In office 19 November 1907 – 18 February 1908 |
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| Preceded by | William Kidston |
| Succeeded by | William Kidston |
| Constituency | Townsville |
| 18th Treasurer of Queensland | |
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In office 2 March 1898 – 1 December 1899 |
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| Preceded by | Hugh Nelson |
| Succeeded by | William Kidston |
| Constituency | Townsville |
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In office 7 December 1899 – 1 February 1901 |
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| Preceded by | William Kidston |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Bridson Cribb |
| Constituency | Townsville |
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In office 19 November 1907 – 18 February 1908 |
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| Preceded by | William Kidston |
| Succeeded by | Peter Airey |
| Constituency | Townsville |
| Leader of the Opposition of Queensland | |
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In office 1 December 1899 – 7 December 1899 |
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| Preceded by | Anderson Dawson |
| Succeeded by | Anderson Dawson |
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In office 17 September 1903 – 28 June 1904 |
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| Preceded by | Billy Browne |
| Succeeded by | Arthur Rutledge |
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In office 19 September 1904 – 19 November 1907 |
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| Preceded by | Arthur Rutledge |
| Succeeded by | William Kidston |
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In office 15 February 1908 – 29 October 1908 |
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| Preceded by | William Kidston |
| Succeeded by | David Bowman |
| Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Musgrave |
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In office 5 January 1886 – 9 May 1888 |
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| Preceded by | New seat |
| Succeeded by | William O'Connell |
| Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Townsville |
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In office 12 May 1888 – 22 May 1915 Serving with William Brown, George Burns, Anthony Ogden, William Castling, Patrick Hanran, Thomas Foley |
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| Preceded by | William Villiers Brown |
| Succeeded by | Daniel Ryan |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
28 December 1851 Glasgow, Scotland, UK |
| Died | 17 July 1922 (aged 70) Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Resting place | Toowong Cemetery |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Political party | Ministerialist |
| Spouse(s) | Jessie Banister Campbell (m. 1878 d. 1890), Wilhelmina Fraser Munro (m. 1898 d.1940) |
| Religion | Presbyterian |
Sir Robert Philp, KCMG (28 December 1851 – 17 June 1922) was a Queensland businessman and politician who was Premier of Queensland from December 1899 to September 1903 and again from November 1907 to February 1908.
Philp was born in Glasgow, Scotland, the second son of John Philp, a lime-kiln operator, and Mary Ann Philp (née Wylie). He emigrated to Brisbane with his parents and siblings in 1862, where his father took a lease on the municipal baths, and later became involved in the cattle and sugar industries. Philp was educated at the National (Normal) School until 1863 when he started work at Bright Bros & Co shipping company, before moving to Townsville in 1874 to take up the position of junior partner in the trading company Burns, Philp and Company.
Burns, Philp & Co acted as agents and provisioners for the sugar cane and pastoral industries that sustained Northern Queensland, and Philp served as manager of the Townsville office. Beginning in 1881, Philp diverted some of the company's vessels to the labour trade, recruiting South Pacific Islanders (known as Kanakas) to work as indentured labourers on the canefields, despite the reservations of his business partner James Burns. A royal commission into recruiting practices in 1885 coincided with a downturn in the sugar industry, and as a result the company's vessels were returned to other commercial operations. While this affair had been profitable for Burns,Philp, it did not contribute significantly to later commercial success, although it would not be Philp's last interest in the South Pacific labour trade.
Despite the success of Burns, Philp & Co, Philp made some poor personal investments, such as his loss of £5000 on the "Comet" mine. Like many others he was affected by the economic depression of the 1890s, borrowing £20,000 to purchase property in Brisbane which three years later was valued at only £16,230. He also owed considerable sums of money to the North Queensland Mortgage & Investment Co., as well as holding a £5000 mortgage with respect to other properties. Although Burns tried to assist him, Philp was forced to sell his shares in Burns, Philp & Co in 1893, and was still in financial difficulty as late as 1898, although by this stage he had restricted his business ventures to more conservative investments.
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