He was Premier of Queensland from April 1898 until his death in September of the same year, having previously served in several ministerial positions in his parliamentary career.

During his time at the University of Melbourne he became Prelector of the Dialectic Society of Trinity College (University of Melbourne),[3] although he was a non-residential student, winning the Society's inaugural Wigram Allen Prize in 1883, only months after it had been established by Sir George Wigram Allen.

[1] Byrnes' talent brought him to the attention of fellow barrister Sir Samuel Griffith, then Premier of Queensland, who had him appointed Solicitor-General with a seat in the Legislative Council.

[5] Byrnes continued his private law practice and participated in two major Supreme Court of Queensland cases.

In the Queensland Investment Co. v. Grimley case, Byrnes successful conduct of the defence was praised widely.

He contended that Federation was a vainglorious manoeuvre of self-seeking politicians with 'imperial' notions, which did recognise the reality of Australia as a minor power, but succumbed to 'thoughts in our mind that we are a very much larger country in the universe than we really are'.

On a tour of the pro-Federation Queensland north his earlier fighting words were replaced by diffuse professions of federalism in the abstract.

[7] Byrnes' possibly brilliant future was cut short by contracting measles on his visit to Sydney in July 1898, which developed into pneumonia.

However, Simonetti had never seen Byrnes during his life and produced a plaster cast from photographs for the committee's approval before commencing the statue.

[20] St Thomas's Catholic Church in Camp Hill, Brisbane (then known as East Coorparoo) built in 1923 is another memorial to Byrnes.