Quick, Sir John (1852-1932), an English-born lawyer in Victoria, was one of the founding fathers of federation in Australia. At the 1893 Corowa conference in New South Wales, Quick argued for a national convention to which delegates would be elected by popular vote from each colony. The convention could then draft a federal constitution. Resistance to federation from some of the colonies, including New South Wales, was overcome by assuring that the final constitution would be publicly approved by means of a referendum. The convention approved Quick’s proposals, which formed the basis on which the convention wrote the Constitution.
John Quick was born in Cornwall, England, on April 14, 1852. He was knighted on the inauguration of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901. He died on June 17, 1932.
See also Federation of Australia.
