Edward Wittenoom
Encyclopedia
Sir Edward Charles Wittenoom KCMG (12 February 18545 March 1936) was an Australia
n politician
, member of the Western Australian Legislative Council
for thirty four years.
, Western Australia
on 12 February 1854, Wittenoom was the son of bank director and pastoralist Charles Wittenoom. He was educated at Bishop Hale's
School (now Hale School
) in Perth
, then at 15 worked at Bowes sheep station at Northampton
from the age of 15. In 1874, he took up sheep farming with his brother Frank
at Yuin in the Murchison
district, before returning to Bowes in 1877 to lease and manage it. On 23 April 1878 he married Laura Habgood; they would have two sons and three daughters.
In 1881, Wittenoom purchased the Geraldton
station White Peak from John Drummond
, and established a sheep stud farm there. From 1883 to 1886 he also owned a station at La Grange. He ran a stock and station agency in Geraldton in 1886 and 1887, but later sold it. He became heavily involved in business and finance, becoming managing director for Dalgety & Co.
in 1901; chairman of directors of Millars Karri and Jarrah Co.
; chairman of Bovril Australian Estates; director of the Bank of New South Wales
; director of Commercial Union Insurance; and director of the WA Bank. He was president of the Pastoralists' Association from 1912 to 1915, and again in 1917.
seat of Geraldton in a by-election
occasioned by the resignation of Maitland Brown
. Wittenoom resigned the seat on 23 January 1884 and was replaced by John Sydney Davis
. He again won the seat in a by-election on 25 June 1885 but resigned again on 6 November 1886. He became a member of the Murchison Road Board in 1890.
On 16 July 1894 Wittenoom was elected to the Legislative Council for the Central Province. On 19 December of that year he was appointed Minister for Mines, Education, and Posts and Telegraphs in the Forrest ministry
. At that time, newly appointed ministers were required to re-contest their seats, so Wittenoom resigned his seat on 19 December, and was re-elected in the subsequent ministerial by-election of 16 January 1895. He retained his seat and ministerial portfolio until the general election
of 28 April 1898, which he did not contest. The following month he was appointed Agent General for Western Australia in London
, a position that he held until 1901.
While in the UK, he was made a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
in 1900, being the last KCMG to be personally invested by Queen Victoria at Osborne House
prior to her death in January 1901.
On returning to Western Australia, Wittenoom was again elected to the Legislative Council on 12 May 1902, this time for the North Province. He held his seat until 6 November 1906, when he resigned to contest a seat in the Australian Senate
in the federal election of 12 December. He was unsuccessful, and so returned to state politics in the following election, winning a North Province seat in the Legislative Council on 13 May 1910. He would hold this seat for 24 years, finally losing after declining to contest the election of 12 May 1934. During this period, he was President of the Legislative Council
from 27 July 1922 to 10 August 1926. He also spent a brief period at consul
for France
in Western Australia.
on 5 March 1936, and was buried in Karrakatta Cemetery
.
One of Wittenoom's sons, Charles Horne Wittenoom
, also became a member of the Legislative Council. The town of Wittenoom
is named for his brother, Frank Wittenoom
.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, member of the Western Australian Legislative Council
Western Australian Legislative Council
The Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. Its central purpose is to act as a house of review for legislation passed through the lower house, the Legislative Assembly. It sits in Parliament House in the state...
for thirty four years.
Early life
Born in FremantleFremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...
, Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
on 12 February 1854, Wittenoom was the son of bank director and pastoralist Charles Wittenoom. He was educated at Bishop Hale's
Matthew Blagden Hale
Matthew Blagden Hale was the first Bishop of Perth and then the Bishop of Brisbane.Born in Alderley, Gloucestershire, England, Matthew Hale was the son of Robert and Lady Theodosia . His maternal grandfather was The Earl of Mayo, Lord Archbishop of Tuam...
School (now Hale School
Hale School
Hale School is a selective, independent, Anglican day and boarding school for boys, located in Wembley Downs, a coastal suburb of Perth, Western Australia....
) in Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, then at 15 worked at Bowes sheep station at Northampton
Northampton, Western Australia
Northampton is a town north of Geraldton, in the Mid West region of Western Australia. At the 2006 census, the town had a population of 813. It is historic, with an outstanding National Trust building. The town lies on the North West Coastal Highway. Formerly named Gwalla after the location's...
from the age of 15. In 1874, he took up sheep farming with his brother Frank
Frank Wittenoom
Francis Frederick Burdett Wittenoom was an explorer and pastoralist in Western Australia...
at Yuin in the Murchison
Murchison River (Western Australia)
The Murchison River is the second longest river in Western Australia. It flows for about from the southern edge of the Robinson Ranges to the Indian Ocean at Kalbarri. It has a mean annual flow of about 200 million cubic metres.-Course:...
district, before returning to Bowes in 1877 to lease and manage it. On 23 April 1878 he married Laura Habgood; they would have two sons and three daughters.
In 1881, Wittenoom purchased the Geraldton
Geraldton, Western Australia
Geraldton is a city and port in Western Australia located north of Perth in the Mid West region. Geraldton has an estimated population at June 2010 of 36,958...
station White Peak from John Drummond
John Drummond (Australian settler)
John Nicol Drummond was an early settler in Western Australia. He became the colony's first Inspector of Native Police, and helped to explore the Champion Bay district before becoming one of the district's pioneer pastoralists....
, and established a sheep stud farm there. From 1883 to 1886 he also owned a station at La Grange. He ran a stock and station agency in Geraldton in 1886 and 1887, but later sold it. He became heavily involved in business and finance, becoming managing director for Dalgety & Co.
Dalgety plc
Dalgety plc was a major British conglomerate. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.-History:...
in 1901; chairman of directors of Millars Karri and Jarrah Co.
Millars
*Millars or Mijares River in Aragon and the Valencian Community*Millars or Millares town in the comarca of Canal de Navarrés, Valencian Community*Millars or Millas commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department...
; chairman of Bovril Australian Estates; director of the Bank of New South Wales
Westpac
Westpac , is a multinational financial services, one of the Australian "big four" banks and the second-largest bank in New Zealand....
; director of Commercial Union Insurance; and director of the WA Bank. He was president of the Pastoralists' Association from 1912 to 1915, and again in 1917.
Political career
From around 1883, Wittenoom became increasingly involved in public life. On 30 May of that year he was elected to the Western Australian Legislative CouncilWestern Australian Legislative Council
The Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. Its central purpose is to act as a house of review for legislation passed through the lower house, the Legislative Assembly. It sits in Parliament House in the state...
seat of Geraldton in a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
occasioned by the resignation of Maitland Brown
Maitland Brown
Maitland Brown was an explorer, politician and pastoralist in colonial Western Australia. He is best remembered as the leader of the La Grange expedition, which searched for and recovered the bodies of three white settlers murdered by Indigenous Australians, and subsequently killed a number of...
. Wittenoom resigned the seat on 23 January 1884 and was replaced by John Sydney Davis
John Davis (Australian politician)
John Sydney Davis was an early pastoralist and MLC in colonial Western Australia.-Early life:Born in Galway, Ireland in 1817, nothing is known of his life until he arrived in Western Australia on board the Trusty in about 1842. Initially he lived at Australind, then moved to Hotham River to manage...
. He again won the seat in a by-election on 25 June 1885 but resigned again on 6 November 1886. He became a member of the Murchison Road Board in 1890.
On 16 July 1894 Wittenoom was elected to the Legislative Council for the Central Province. On 19 December of that year he was appointed Minister for Mines, Education, and Posts and Telegraphs in the Forrest ministry
Forrest ministry
The Forrest Ministry was the first government ministry in Western Australia, after the inauguration of responsible government. It was in government from 29 December 1890 to 14 February 1901, when it was succeeded by the Throssell Ministry following the 1901 elections.The members of the Forrest...
. At that time, newly appointed ministers were required to re-contest their seats, so Wittenoom resigned his seat on 19 December, and was re-elected in the subsequent ministerial by-election of 16 January 1895. He retained his seat and ministerial portfolio until the general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
of 28 April 1898, which he did not contest. The following month he was appointed Agent General for Western Australia in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, a position that he held until 1901.
While in the UK, he was made a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
in 1900, being the last KCMG to be personally invested by Queen Victoria at Osborne House
Osborne House
Osborne House is a former royal residence in East Cowes, Isle of Wight, UK. The house was built between 1845 and 1851 for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as a summer home and rural retreat....
prior to her death in January 1901.
On returning to Western Australia, Wittenoom was again elected to the Legislative Council on 12 May 1902, this time for the North Province. He held his seat until 6 November 1906, when he resigned to contest a seat in the Australian Senate
Australian Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. Senators are popularly elected under a system of proportional representation. Senators are elected for a term that is usually six years; after a double dissolution, however,...
in the federal election of 12 December. He was unsuccessful, and so returned to state politics in the following election, winning a North Province seat in the Legislative Council on 13 May 1910. He would hold this seat for 24 years, finally losing after declining to contest the election of 12 May 1934. During this period, he was President of the Legislative Council
President of the Western Australian Legislative Council
The President of the Western Australian Legislative Council, also known as the Presiding Officer of the Council, is the presiding officer of the Western Australian Legislative Council, the upper house of the Parliament of Western Australia and equivalent to the President of the Australian...
from 27 July 1922 to 10 August 1926. He also spent a brief period at consul
Consul
Consul was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Empire. The title was also used in other city states and also revived in modern states, notably in the First French Republic...
for France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in Western Australia.
Final years
Wittenoom's first wife died in 1923, and on 22 December 1924 he married Isobel du Boulay, with whom he would have two daughters. Wittenoom died at West PerthWest Perth, Western Australia
West Perth is an inner suburb of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia. It is part of the inner mixed zone, and has predominantly office blocks which have displaced residential buildings. There is a high proportion of miners and consultants, and particularly medical specialists, compared to...
on 5 March 1936, and was buried in Karrakatta Cemetery
Karrakatta Cemetery
Karrakatta Cemetery is a metropolitan cemetery in the suburb of Karrakatta in Perth, Western Australia. Karrakatta Cemetery first opened for burials in 1899, with Robert Creighton. Currently managed by the Metropolitan Cemeteries Board, the cemetery attracts more than one million visitors each...
.
One of Wittenoom's sons, Charles Horne Wittenoom
Charles Wittenoom
Charles Horne Wittenoon , Australian politician, was a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council for twelve years....
, also became a member of the Legislative Council. The town of Wittenoom
Wittenoom, Western Australia
Wittenoom is a ghost town located 1,106 kilometres north-northeast of Perth in the Hamersley Range in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. It is the site of Australia's greatest industrial disaster....
is named for his brother, Frank Wittenoom
Frank Wittenoom
Francis Frederick Burdett Wittenoom was an explorer and pastoralist in Western Australia...
.