Patrick Jennings (Australian politician)
Encyclopedia
Sir Patrick Alfred Jennings KCMG
(20 March 1831 – 11 July 1897) was an Irish-Australian politician and Premier of New South Wales.
, Ireland
, the son of Francis Jennings, a well-known merchant in that town. He was educated at Newry and at a high school at Exeter
, England
, and began a mercantile career. In 1852 he went to Australia
and engaged in gold mining at St Arnaud, Victoria, but soon became a shop keeper, and then moved into quartz-crushing and bought a large pastoral property on the Murrumbidgee River
. In 1857 he became a magistrate. He ran unsuccessfully for the Crowlands in the Victorian Legislative Assembly
in 1859 and then became chairman of the St Arnaud Council. In 1863, he married Mary Ann Shanahan and moved to Warbreccan near Deniliquin.
In 1863 he became interested in the movement to form the Riverina
district into a separate province, and two years later was asked to go to England as a delegate to bring the grievances of the district before the English authorities. He declined on the ground that it should be possible to clear up the difficulties with the New South Wales government.
in 1867. He resigned in 1870 to enter the Legislative Assembly
as member for the Murray
, but after 1872 was out of politics for some years. He contested Mudgee
unsuccessfully in 1874. He represented the colonies of New South Wales
, Queensland
and Tasmania
, at the Philadelphia exhibition in 1876, and subsequently visited Europe.
Jennings was elected to the assembly again in 1880 as member for the Bogan
and from January to July 1883 was vice-president of the executive council in the Stuart
ministry. He was Colonial Secretary from October to December 1885 in the Dibbs
ministry, and in February 1886 became the first practising Catholic Premier and was also Treasurer. His administration lasted only 11 months and had a troubled career, having inherited a financial crisis. His attempts to balance the budget included a 5 per cent ad valorem tariff, which came to be seen as a violation of his free-trade platform. Jennings was scarcely a strong enough man to control a ministry which included Dibbs, Want
and Lyne
.
Jennings represented New South Wales at the colonial conference held in London in 1887. He was nominated to the legislative council in 1890, and was one of the New South Wales representatives at the federal convention held at Sydney in 1891, but did not take a prominent part in the proceedings. He was vice-president of the Agricultural Society of New South Wales
from 1876 to 1887 and helped to procure the Moore Park
site for the Sydney Royal Easter Show
.
Jennings was an amiable, cultivated man much interested in art and music; he contributed £1100 to Sydney University
towards the cost of an organ for the great hall. He made many friends but was not a great parliamentarian, though he was a prominent figure in the public life of New South Wales for many years.
Jennings died at Brisbane
on 11 July 1897. His wife had died in 1887, but he was survived by two sons and a daughter.
with the Order of St. Gregory the Great
, and in 1876 was made a Knight Commander of the Order of Pius IX and St. Gregory the Great; he also received the Grand Cross of Pius IX from Pope Leo XIII
. He was made an honorary LL.D. of Dublin University, and was created K.C.M.G.
in 1880.
The town of Jennings, New South Wales
was named in his honour.
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....
(20 March 1831 – 11 July 1897) was an Irish-Australian politician and Premier of New South Wales.
Early life
Jennings was born at NewryNewry
Newry is a city in Northern Ireland. The River Clanrye, which runs through the city, formed the historic border between County Armagh and County Down. It is from Belfast and from Dublin. Newry had a population of 27,433 at the 2001 Census, while Newry and Mourne Council Area had a population...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, the son of Francis Jennings, a well-known merchant in that town. He was educated at Newry and at a high school at Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and began a mercantile career. In 1852 he went to Australia
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...
and engaged in gold mining at St Arnaud, Victoria, but soon became a shop keeper, and then moved into quartz-crushing and bought a large pastoral property on the Murrumbidgee River
Murrumbidgee River
The Murrumbidgee River is a major river in the state of New South Wales, Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory . A major tributary of the Murray River, the Murrumbidgee flows in a west-northwesterly direction from the foot of Peppercorn Hill in the Fiery Range of the Snowy Mountains,...
. In 1857 he became a magistrate. He ran unsuccessfully for the Crowlands in the Victorian Legislative Assembly
Victorian Legislative Assembly
The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the Parliament of Victoria in Australia. Together with the Victorian Legislative Council, the upper house, it sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Melbourne.-History:...
in 1859 and then became chairman of the St Arnaud Council. In 1863, he married Mary Ann Shanahan and moved to Warbreccan near Deniliquin.
In 1863 he became interested in the movement to form the Riverina
Riverina
The Riverina is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales , Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation. This combination has allowed the Riverina to develop...
district into a separate province, and two years later was asked to go to England as a delegate to bring the grievances of the district before the English authorities. He declined on the ground that it should be possible to clear up the difficulties with the New South Wales government.
Political career
Jennings was nominated to the legislative councilNew South Wales Legislative Council
The New South Wales Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of New South Wales in Australia. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney. The Assembly is referred to as the lower house and the Council as...
in 1867. He resigned in 1870 to enter the Legislative Assembly
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...
as member for the Murray
Electoral district of Murray (New South Wales)
Murray was an electoral district in the Australian state of New South Wales. It was a single-member electorate from 1859 to 1920, but from 1920 to 1927 it was merged with Albury, Corowa and Wagga Wagga to create a three-member electorate, voting by proportional representation. It was recreated as a...
, but after 1872 was out of politics for some years. He contested Mudgee
Electoral district of Mudgee
Mudgee was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales first created in 1859, partly replacing Wellington and Bligh and named after and including Mudgee. Following the abolition of Goldfields West in 1880, it elected three members simultaneously,...
unsuccessfully in 1874. He represented the colonies of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
and Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, at the Philadelphia exhibition in 1876, and subsequently visited Europe.
Jennings was elected to the assembly again in 1880 as member for the Bogan
Electoral district of Bogan
The Bogan was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales, created in 1859 and named after the Bogan River. It elected two members between 1880 and 1889 and three members between 1889 and 1894. It was abolished in 1894 and partly replaced by Cobar,...
and from January to July 1883 was vice-president of the executive council in the Stuart
Alexander Stuart (Australian politician)
Sir Alexander Stuart KCMG was Premier of New South Wales from 5 January 1883 to 7 October 1885.-Early years:Stuart was born at Edinburgh, the son of Alexander Stuart and his wife Mary, née McKnight. Stuart was educated at the Edinburgh Academy and attended the University of Edinburgh, but did not...
ministry. He was Colonial Secretary from October to December 1885 in the Dibbs
George Dibbs
Sir George Richard Dibbs KCMG was an Australian politician who was Premier of New South Wales on three occasions.-Early years:Dibbs was born in Sydney, son of Captain John Dibbs, who disappeared in the same year...
ministry, and in February 1886 became the first practising Catholic Premier and was also Treasurer. His administration lasted only 11 months and had a troubled career, having inherited a financial crisis. His attempts to balance the budget included a 5 per cent ad valorem tariff, which came to be seen as a violation of his free-trade platform. Jennings was scarcely a strong enough man to control a ministry which included Dibbs, Want
John Henry Want
John Henry Want was an Australian barrister and politician, as well as the 19th Attorney-General of New South Wales.-Early life:...
and Lyne
William Lyne
Sir William John Lyne KCMG , Australian politician, was Premier of New South Wales and a member of the first federal ministry.-Early life:...
.
Jennings represented New South Wales at the colonial conference held in London in 1887. He was nominated to the legislative council in 1890, and was one of the New South Wales representatives at the federal convention held at Sydney in 1891, but did not take a prominent part in the proceedings. He was vice-president of the Agricultural Society of New South Wales
Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales
The Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales is an Agricultural society based in New South Wales, Australia. They run many of the agricultural shows around New South Wales including the Sydney Royal Easter Show....
from 1876 to 1887 and helped to procure the Moore Park
Moore Park, New South Wales
Moore Park is a large area of parkland in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is part of Centennial Parklands, a collective of three parks being Moore Park, Centennial Park and Queens Park. Centennial Parklands is administered by the Centennial Park &...
site for the Sydney Royal Easter Show
Sydney Royal Easter Show
The Sydney Royal Easter Show, also known as the Royal Easter Show or simply The Show, is an annual show held in Sydney, Australia over two weeks around Easter.It is run by the Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales and was first held in 1823...
.
Jennings was an amiable, cultivated man much interested in art and music; he contributed £1100 to Sydney University
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
towards the cost of an organ for the great hall. He made many friends but was not a great parliamentarian, though he was a prominent figure in the public life of New South Wales for many years.
Jennings died at Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
on 11 July 1897. His wife had died in 1887, but he was survived by two sons and a daughter.
Honours
He was a leading man among his co-religionists. In 1874 he was honoured by Pope Pius IXPope Pius IX
Blessed Pope Pius IX , born Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti, was the longest-reigning elected Pope in the history of the Catholic Church, serving from 16 June 1846 until his death, a period of nearly 32 years. During his pontificate, he convened the First Vatican Council in 1869, which decreed papal...
with the Order of St. Gregory the Great
Order of St. Gregory the Great
The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great , was established on September 1, 1831, by Pope Gregory XVI, seven months after his election.It is one of the five orders of knighthood of the Holy See...
, and in 1876 was made a Knight Commander of the Order of Pius IX and St. Gregory the Great; he also received the Grand Cross of Pius IX from Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
. He was made an honorary LL.D. of Dublin University, and was created K.C.M.G.
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 1880.
The town of Jennings, New South Wales
Jennings, New South Wales
Jennings is a town on the Northern Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia. The town is located in the Tenterfield Shire Local Government Area, from the state capital, Sydney and from Brisbane. It is separated by the state border from its neighbouring town of Wallangarra in Queensland. ...
was named in his honour.