He presided over the trials of the leaders of the 1892 Broken Hill miners' strike, and was an active faculty member of the University of Sydney for over fifty years.

[1] His parents, who were married on 20 August 1849, were forced by financial constraints to emigrate to Victoria, Australia in 1852 to make their living.

From 1892, the Executive Council appointed Backhouse as an acting Judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales on several occasions.

[8] Backhouse also served on the Senate of the University of Sydney from 1887 until his death, having been made a lifelong member despite retiring from professional life in 1921.

[1] Upon his death, The Sydney Morning Herald proclaimed him one of the "most widely known and best-loved citizens, a distinguished figure in various spheres of life, and a rare personality".