Henry Strangways

Henry Strangways

Henry Bull Templar Strangways (1832 – 10 February 1920) was an Australian politician and Premier of South Australia.

Strangways was the eldest son of Henry Bull Strangways of Shapwick, Somerset, England. As a boy, he visited South Australia, where his uncle Thomas Bewes Strangways was a pioneer. Returning to England he entered the Middle Temple in November 1851 and was called to the bar in June 1856. He went to Adelaide early in the following year, was elected to the South Australian House of Assembly for Encounter Bay in January 1858, and became Attorney-General in the Reynolds ministry from May 1860 to May 1861. The ministry was then reconstructed and Strangways became Commissioner of Crown Lands and Immigration until October 1861. He held the same position in the Waterhouse ministry from October 1861 to July 1863, in the Dutton ministry from March to September 1865, and in the third Ayers ministry from September to October 1865. Strangways represented West Torrens from 17 November 1862 to 28 July 1871.^[1]

On 3 November 1868 he became Premier and Attorney-General in a ministry that was reconstructed after an election on 12 May 1870, but was defeated 18 days later. In February 1871 he was called to England on private business, eventually settled on the family estate in Somerset, and lived the life of a country gentleman until his death on 10 February 1920. He retained his interest in South Australia all his life, but does not appear to have revisited it. He married in 1860 Maria Cordelia, daughter of H. R. Wigley, and was survived by a daughter.

References

• Serle, Percival (1949). "Strangways, Henry". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Sydney: Angus and Robertson. 

Premiers of South Australia B.T. Finniss John Baker Robert Torrens Richard Hanson Thomas Reynolds George Marsden Waterhouse Francis Dutton Henry Ayers Arthur Blyth Francis Dutton Henry Ayers John Hart James Boucaut Henry Ayers John Hart Henry Ayers Henry Strangways John Hart Arthur Blyth Henry Ayers Arthur Blyth James Boucaut John Colton James Boucaut William Morgan John Cox Bray John Colton John Downer Thomas Playford II John Cockburn Thomas Playford II Frederick Holder John Downer Charles Kingston Vaiben Solomon Frederick Holder John Jenkins R.B. Butler Thomas Price Archibald Peake John Verran Archibald Peake Crawford Vaughan Archibald Peake Henry Barwell John Gunn Lionel Hill R.L. Butler Lionel Hill Robert Richards R.L. Butler Thomas Playford IV Frank Walsh Don Dunstan Steele Hall Don Dunstan Des Corcoran David Tonkin John Bannon Lynn Arnold Dean Brown John Olsen Rob Kerin Mike Rann Jay Weatherill