Edward William Price

His Honour
Edward William Price
Government Resident of the Northern Territory
In office
1 July 1876  6 March 1883
Monarch Victoria
Preceded by George Byng Scott
Succeeded by John Langdon Parsons
Personal details
Born 1832
Dublin, United Kingdom
Died 1893
London, United Kingdom
Nationality Australia Australian
Spouse(s) Mina Hamilton
Religion Church of England

Edward William Price (1832 – 14 November 1893) was an Irish-born Australian civil servant, who served as Government Resident of the Northern Territory between 1876 and 1883.[1]

Life and career

Price was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1832. He joined the Royal Navy in 1851, serving initially as a midshipman aboard HMS Ajax. During the Crimean War, he was a member of the crew of HMS Simoon. For his service, he was awarded the British Crimean War Medal and the Turkish Crimean War Medal.[2] He asked to be discharged in 1856, and this request was granted.[1]

Price moved to South Australia in 1859, and became a civil servant the following year.[3] He spent several years working as a court clerk, initially for Gawler Town Local Court[4] and later for the Police Court at Adelaide.[5] In 1873, he was appointed a Justice of the Peace and Special Magistrate for South Australia.[6]

Price married Mina Hamilton, a fellow Irish emigrant, on 6 November 1860 in Adelaide.[7] They had six children. Price's wife and children all died together in 1875 when a ship they were travelling on, the SS Gothenburg, was wrecked off the coast of Queensland.[1]

On 1 July 1876, Price was appointed Government Resident of the Northern Territory, succeeding George Byng Scott. He remained in this position until 6 March 1883.[1] During his tenure, he was a prominent proponent of Christian values, especially on the issue of alcohol. He also started a Church of England congregation in the Residency, partly funded by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel.[8]

After resigning from his position as Government Resident,[3] he travelled to London aboard SS Bowen. He died in London on 14 November 1893.[1]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Edward William Price". Northern Territory Government. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  2. Mennell, Philip (1892). "Wikisource link to Price, Edward William". The Dictionary of Australasian Biography. London: Hutchinson & Co. Wikisource
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Obituary". South Australian Register. 25 December 1893. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  4. "Appointments". South Australian Register. 17 August 1860.
  5. "Police courts". South Australian Register. 29 April 1873. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  6. "Appointments". South Australian Register. 19 December 1873. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  7. "Family Notices". South Australian Register. 7 November 1860.
  8. Jack Cross (1 March 2011). Great Central State: The Foundation of the Northern Territory. Wakefield Press. pp. 213–214. ISBN 978-1-86254-877-0. Retrieved 5 March 2012.