James Boucaut
Sir James Penn Boucaut was a South Australian politician and Australian judge. He was a member of the South Australian House of Assembly on four occasions: from 1861 to 1862 for City of Adelaide, from 1865 to 1870 for West Adelaide and The Burra, from 1871 to 1878 for West Torrens and Encounter Bay, and a final stint in Encounter Bay in 1878.
At 34 years and 150 days of age, Boucaut was the youngest person to have been appointed Premier of South Australia. He was Premier three times: from 1866 to 1867, from 1875 to 1876, and from 1877 to 1878. He was Attorney-General of South Australia under Premiers John Hart and Henry Ayers, and served variously as Attorney-General, Treasurer, Commissioner of Public Works and Commissioner of Crown Lands and Immigration in his own ministries. He left politics in 1878 when he was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of South Australia, serving until his retirement in 1905.
Early life
Boucaut was born in Mylor, Cornwall, the eldest son of Captain Ray Boucaut, former commander of the East India Company's ship Mary Ann, and his wife, Winifred, daughter of James Penn, superintendent of the Royal Navy's victualling department at Mylor, Falmouth. He was educated at the Rev. Mr Hayley's school at Saltash.Career in Australia
Boucaut was narrowly defeated in the 1868 election for East Adelaide, but returned unopposed for The Burra.He badly lost the 1869 election for The Burra but entered the house again as member for West Torrens in the by-election of 1871.Boucaut remained very attached to his roots in Cornwall, being active in the Adelaide Cornish Association, and he considered Cornwall to be a nation.
His brother Bastin Boucaut was a member of B. T. Finniss's 1864 surveying party to the Northern Territory; he died of fever at Escape Cliffs, aged 21.