William Morgan (Australian politician)

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William Morgan

For other people named William Morgan, see William Morgan

Sir William Morgan KCMG (12 September 1829 – 2 November 1883) was the Premier of South Australia between 1878 and 1881.

William Morgan was born in Bedfordshire, England, the son of a farmer. He emigrated to South Australia, arriving in Adelaide in February 1849. At first he worked for Boord Brothers, grocers, but at the beginning of 1852 he went to the Victorian gold rush. He was not very successful and returned to his old position. In partnership with a brother he shortly afterwards purchased the business and made it a very successful one. He was elected to the South Australian Legislative Council in 1867, and was chief secretary in the second James Boucaut government from June 1875 to March 1876. He was chief secretary again in the fourth Boucaut ministry from October 1877 to September 1878, and when Boucaut became a judge, Morgan reconstructed the ministry and on 27 September 1878 became premier and chief secretary. This ministry was in office for nearly three years but it did not have an easy passage. One important measure passed was that providing deep drainage for Adelaide, the first city in Australia to have a proper sewerage system. A public trustee act was passed, and there was some railway extension, but other bills were thrown out by the council.

Pressure of private business made Morgan resign on 24 June 1881, and the John Bray ministry came in. In May 1883 Morgan left on a visit to England and he died suddenly at Brighton on 2 November 1883. He married a daughter of T. H. Matthews who survived him with two sons and two daughters. He was created K.C.M.G. in May 1883.

Morgan was an entirely self-made man, of liberal opinions. He was a staunch free-trader who held that protective duties taxed the people least able to bear the burden. He was an excellent speaker, and an able administrator who, but for his comparatively early death, might have had a more important place in the political history of South Australia.

[edit] References

Serle, Percival. (1949). "Morgan, William". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Sydney: Angus and Robertson.
E. J. R. Morgan, 'Morgan, Sir William (1828 - 1883)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 5, MUP, 1974, pp 288-289.

This article incorporates text from the public domain 1949 edition of Dictionary of Australian Biography from
Project Gutenberg of Australia, which is in the public domain in Australia and the United States of America.