Members of the Western Australian Legislative Council, 1832-1870

Western Australia was a crown colony from its establishment in 1829 as the Swan River Colony until the advent of representative government in 1870. During this time executive and legislative power was vested in the Governor of Western Australia, but from 1832 he had Executive and Legislative Councils to assist and advise him. The Western Australian Legislative Council met for the first time on 7 February 1832. This is a list of Members of the Western Australian Legislative Council between 1832 to 1870.

Contents

Official members, 1832–1870

The Western Australian Legislative Council was initially composed of five ex officio members; that is, members by virtue of their official government positions. These official positions were: the Governor, the Commandant, the Colonial Secretary, the Surveyor-General and the Advocate-General. The Collector of Revenue was added in 1847, and the Comptroller-General in June 1852.[1][2]

This is a list of official members of the Western Australian Legislative Council between 1832 and 1870. Due to gaps in official records, some dates are approximate and the list may omit some members who were acting in official positions.

Period Official members
Governor Commandant Colonial Secretary Surveyor General Advocate General Collector of Revenue Comptroller General
7 February 1832–1834 James Stirling
 Frederick Irwin
 Peter Broun
 John Septimus Roe
 William Mackie
 Not a member until 1847 Not a member until 1852
1834–3 January 1839 George Fletcher Moore
3 January 1839–27 January 1846 John Hutt
27 January 1846–November 1846 Andrew Clarke
November 1846–May 1847 George Fletcher Moore (acting)
 Richard Nash (acting)
May–June 1847 Richard Madden George Fletcher Moore
June 1847–12 August 1848 Henry Sutherland
12 August 1848–January 1849 Charles Fitzgerald
January 1849–March 1850 Revett Henry Bland (acting)
March–October 1850 Thomas Yule (acting)
October 1850–March 1851 Charles Piesse
March 1851–1852 Thomas Yule (acting)
1852 Bartholemew Vigors (acting) Edmund Henderson
January 1852–1854 William Sanford
1854–1855 G. M. Reeves Richard Burnie
1855 John Bruce Richard Broun
1855–July 1855 Anthony O'Grady Lefroy
July–23 July 1855 Frederick Barlee
23 July 1855–1857 Arthur Edward Kennedy
1857–1859 George Stone (acting)
1859–28 February 1862 George Stone
28 February 1862–31 January 1863 John Hampton
31 January 1863[3]–May 1866 William Newland
May 1866–15 May 1867 George Hampton (acting)
15 May 1867[3]–30 September 1869 Henry Wakeford
30 September 1869-1870 Frederick Weld

Unofficial nominee members, 1839–1867

In 1839 provision was made for the addition of four non-official nominee positions on the Legislative Council. The first four nominee members were sworn in on 4 March 1839. This is a list of non-official nominee members of the Legislative Council between 1839 and 1867.

Period Nominee members
4 March 1839–1840 William Locke Brockman
 George Leake Thomas Peel
 William Tanner
1840-May 1840 vacant
May 1840-31 March 1841 Edward Barrett-Lennard
31 March[4]–April 1841 vacant
April–July 1841 Thomas Yule
July 1841–1842 William Mackie (acting)
1842–June 1842 vacant
June–July 1842 Thomas Yule
July 1842–1843 William Mackie
1843–March 1844 vacant
March 1844–1846 Francis Singleton
1846–1847 vacant
1847–June 1847 vacant
June–September 1847 Walter Andrews
September 1847–1848 vacant
1848–October 1848 Richard Nash
October 1848–31 May 1849 Samuel Moore
31 May–July 1849 vacant
July–December 1849 vacant
December 1849–1850 Lionel Samson
1850–December 1850 Marshall Clifton
December 1850–May 1851 Thomas Brown (acting)
May 1851–May 1852 Thomas Brown
May 1852–March 1855 William Clifton
March 1855–October 1856 John Wall Hardey
October 1856–March 1857 vacant
March–June 1857 Samuel Pole Phillips (acting) Edward Hamersley
June 1857–April 1859 Samuel Pole Phillips
April–October 1859 vacant
October 1859–1867 Lionel Samson

Unofficial nominee members, 1868–1870

During the 1860s there was much public debate about the possibility of instituting representative government. This culminated in June 1865 with the submission of a petition to the Legislative Council asking for a larger and partially elected Legislative Council. As a compromise, the Legislative Council sought permission to add two more nominee members. This permission was received in September 1867, but the Governor then went further by allowing the colony to informally elect six persons whom he would then nominate to the Legislative Council. The colony was divided into six districts: Perth, Fremantle, Guildford, Eastern Districts, Murray and Champion Bay. The first five of these district elected representatives who were then nominated to the Legislative Council as promised. The Champion Bay district, which had led the push for representative government, refused to participate in what it saw as a sham election, so the Governor nominated to the final seat his ally John Wall Hardey, who had polled only four votes in the Guildford district election. This arrangement prevailed until July 1870, when the Legislative Council was reconstituted under a system of representative government.[1][2]

Period Unofficially elected Nominated
Perth Fremantle Guildford Eastern Districts Murray
July 1868–May 1870 Julian Carr
 Walter Bateman William Locke Brockman
 Samuel Pole Phillips James Lee Steere
 John Wall Hardey
May–August 1870 Edward Newman

References

Except where otherwise indicated, all list data was obtained from The Western Australian Parliamentary Handbook[5]

  1. ^ a b de Garis, Brian (1991). "The First Legislative Council, 1832–1870". In Black, David (ed.). The House on the Hill: A History of the Parliament of Western Australia. Parliament House, Perth, Western Australia: Parliament of Western Australia. ISBN 0-7309-3983-9. 
  2. ^ a b de Garis, Brian (1981). "Political Tutelage 1829–1890". In Stannage, C. T. (ed.). A New History of Western Australia. Nedlands, Western Australia: university of Western Australia Press. ISBN 0-85564-170-3. 
  3. ^ a b Hasluck, Alexander (1959). Unwilling Emigrants. Melbourne: Oxford University Press. 
  4. ^ Hasluck, Alexandra (1965). Thomas Peel of Swan River. Melbourne: Oxford University Press. 
  5. ^ Black, David (ed.) (2005). The Western Australian Parliamentary Handbook, Twenty-first Edition. Parliament House, Perth, Western Australia: Parliament of Western Australia. ISBN 1-920830-46-4.