Orange Free State In the 1860s and 70s he served in the Volksraad (parliament) of the
Orange Free State, which was at the time an independent republic. In 1869, he headed a commission that demarcated the Free State's borders with the Cape Colony. In 1870, he was deputed by the Volksraad, together with
Johannes Brand, to argue the case of the Free State for possession of the diamond fields of
Griqualand West.
Legislative Council and Treasurer (1879-1884) is visible beside him in sunglasses. He was elected to the
Cape Parliament in 1878, as the Member for the North Eastern Circle (Province) in the upper Legislative Council. On the fall of the disastrous government of Prime Minister
John Gordon Sprigg, locally-born
Thomas Charles Scanlen took over government of the Cape of Good Hope. In 1881, he selected Hutton as his Treasurer General, with the job of recovering the country's collapsed finances, devastated by the wars and mismanagement of the previous Ministry. Hutton was faced by a massive shortfall in government revenue and a large accumulation of debt. He worked closely with the architect of
Responsible Government, the Cape's first Prime Minister
John Molteno, who briefly came out of retirement to assist him and Scanlen. By the end of the following year the government's finances were overhauled and the deficit was largely under control. In spite of his relative success as Treasurer, he lost his constituency seat in the Legislative Council at the end of 1883 and consequently his government position by February 1884. He was replaced by the young
Cecil Rhodes, an ambitious imperialist who detested the cautious Hutton (referring to him in his letters as an "Old Woman").
Interlude After retiring from government, Hutton edited the autobiography of his father-in-law Stockenstrom in 1887. He also became a trustee for Gill College in Somerset East. At this time he also moved permanently to
Cape Town, where he bought and built up the property "Sandown Lodge" in
Rondebosch.
Legislative Assembly and Opposition (1886-1898) He was re-elected in 1886, this time to the Legislative Assembly (lower house) representing the district of
Fort Beaufort, and was one of the chief critics of the government of
Cecil Rhodes in the 1890s. Hutton was a strong and consistent advocate for expanded rights and representation for the Black African citizens of the Cape. In fighting Rhodes, and particularly Rhodes's discriminatory "native policy", he joined a small but powerful group of liberal leaders, comprising
John X. Merriman,
JW Sauer,
James Rose Innes,
John Molteno and
William Hay. Hutton was a frequent speaker, known as a reasonable moderate. He gave up his seat when he decided not to stand in the 1898 election. ==Later life==