Patrick Stone
Encyclopedia
Western Australian Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Perth....
from 1901 to 1904, and from 1905 to 1908.
Born in Buncrana, County Donegal
County Donegal
County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
, 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...
on 14 March 1854, Patrick Stone was the eldest son of army private James Stone and Ann Dorothy née Doherty. His father had served in the British Army in India and Afghanistan and after being wounded there had been invalided back to Britain where he married. When the British government agreed to transport convicts to Western Australia, James elected to became part of the Enrolled Pensioner Guard, guarding the convicts on their voyage to Western Australia. Patrick traveled with his parents and younger son James on board the convict transport William Hammond, arriving in Western Australia in April 1856. The Stone's lived in Fremantle
Fremantle, 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...
where his father was based until the 1860's when they moved to Greenough
Greenough, Western Australia
Greenough is a historical town located 400 kilometres north of Perth, Western Australia and 24 kilometres south of Geraldton on the Brand Highway. The historic buildings are controlled by the National Trust of Australia...
where his father had been granted land. Patrick received a brief education at the Roman Catholic school at Fremantle, before working for his father on the Greenough farm until around 1880.
On 8 February 1880, Stone married Helen Emily Roe, daughter of James Elphinstone Roe
James Elphinstone Roe
James Elphinstone Roe was a convict transported to Western Australia. After serving his sentence he became one of the colony's ex-convict school teachers. Through his agitation for education reform, he played an important role in "shaping the education system and political policies in the colony"...
. He then set himself up as a storekeeper and produce merchant, becoming the town's most prominent and successful merchant over a long period. He also became owner of the Commonwealth Hotel, and was a director of the Geraldton Co-op. Milling Society.
Stone was a member of the Greenough Road Board in 1878 and 1879, and between 1888 and 1916 he was a member of the Geraldton Municipal Council in a series of broken stints totally around 13 years. On 19 June 1894 he contested the Western Australian Legislative Assembly
Western Australian Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Perth....
seat of Geraldton
Electoral district of Geraldton
Geraldton is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia.Geraldton was one of the original 30 seats contested at the 1890 state election...
but was unsuccessful. He contested the seat again in the by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
of 24 July 1900, but again without success. On 24 April 1901, he won the seat of Greenough
Electoral district of Greenough
Greenough was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia from 1890 to 2008.Greenough was one of the original 30 seats contested at the 1890 state election. The district was based in the northern part of Western Australia's Wheatbelt region...
, holding it until the election of 28 June 1904, when he was defeated by John Nanson. The following year Nanson resigned the seat to study law in 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 Stone won the seat for a second time on 27 October 1905. This time he held it until the election of 11 September 1908, when he was again defeated by Nanson, who had returned to Western Australia that year.
Stone continued to contest elections for the rest of his life, contesting a further six elections without success. In 1910 he contested for a Central Province seat in 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...
. The following year he contested Geraldton. He contested Central Province in 1914 and 1920, before contesting for 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 1922. In May 1926 he contested for a Central Province seat for a fourth time. He died six months later on 23 December 1926, and was buried in Geraldton Cemetery.