William McMillan (Australian politician)
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Sir William McMillan KCMG (14 November 1850 – 21 December 1926) was an Australian politician and businessman. Alfred Deakin said he was a "thoughtful, educated businessman, narrow and cold after the manner of the Manchester School … business-like in manner and incisive in debate".[1]
McMillan was born in Derry, Ireland and educated at Wesley College, Dublin (together with H. B. Higgins) and at Tulse Hill School in London. He travelled to Sydney in 1869 to develop a branch of McArthur, softgoods merchants. He later worked at the company's Melbourne branch before returning to Sydney as resident partner in 1876. He later became chairman and managing director of Metropolitan Coal Company Limited and a director the Australian branches of Westinghouse Air Brake Company Limited and Phoenix Assurance Company Limited. He was the president of Sydney Chamber of Commerce in 1886. In 1878 he married Ada Charlotte Graham, aged 16, and they had two daughters and two sons.[2][1]
In 1887, McMillan was elected as the member for East Sydney in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for the Free Trade Party, and held the seat until its abolition in 1894. He was Colonial Treasurer from March 1889 to July 1891 in Sir Henry Parkes fifth Free Trade Government and was a delegate to the 1890 conference on the federation of Australia and the 1891 National Australasian Convention. In 1894 he was elected as the member for Burwood, which he held until 1898. He chaired the finance committee of the 1897 Australasian Federal Convention.[2][1]
In 1901, he was elected to federal parliament as the first member for the seat of Wentworth and was elected deputy leader of the Free Trade Party. He retired at the 1903 election to look after his business interests. He stood unsuccessfully for the state seat of Willoughby in 1913.[1]
McMillan was divorced in 1891. He married Helen Maria O'Reilly in 1892 and they had two daughters. He died in his house, Althorne in the Sydney suburb of Bellevue Hill.[1]
[edit] Honours
McMillan was created Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1901.[2]
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c d e Martin, A. W. (1986). McMillan, Sir William (1850 - 1926). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Australian National University. Retrieved on 2007-09-02.
- ^ a b c Sir William McMillan (1850 - 1926). Members of Parliament. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved on 2007-09-02.
[edit] External links
- Works by or about William McMillan (Australian politician) in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
| Parliament of Australia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by New |
Member for Division of Wentworth 1901–1903 |
Succeeded by William Kelly |
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | McMillan, William |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Australian politician and businessman |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 14 November 1850 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Derry, Ireland |
| DATE OF DEATH | 21 December 1926 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Bellevue Hill, New South Wales, Australia |
