John Fitzgerald Burns

John Fitzgerald Burns (1833 – 19 March 1911)[1] was an Australian politician, member of the Parliament of New South Wales, Postmaster-General in the 1870s and Colonial Treasurer in the 1880s.

Burns was born in the north of Ireland, and emigrated to New South Wales at an early age.

In 1878 he arranged with the Governments of the other Australian colonies and New Zealand for the duplication of the submarine cable to Australia.

Burns, as a member of the Parkes government, stood as a Free Trade candidate and was re-elected unopposed at the 1887 election for The Hunter.

[13][1] In the 1894 election for Willoughby he stood as an independent free trade candidate, but was unsuccessful, receiving only 86 votes (4.53%).