Frank Wilson (Australian politician)
Encyclopedia
Frank Wilson, CMG
(12 May 1859 – 7 December 1918), was the ninth Premier of Western Australia
, serving on two separate occasions.
Frank Wilson was born at Monkwearmouth
, Sunderland
, England
on 12 May 1859. He was educated in Sunderland, then Moravian School in Neuwied
, Germany
, and finally at Wesley College
, Sheffield
. He was then apprenticed to Peacock Bros. and Sons, a Sunderland firm of shipbrokers and timber merchants. At the age of nineteen, he joined his brother in the establishment of an engineering works. Two years later, he married Annie Phillips.
Wilson remained in the engineering business for eight years, until an engineering strike in 1886 caused the business substantial losses. The following year he sailed for Queensland
, where he initially ran his own business, and later became manager of A. Overend and Company, a well-known firm of railway contractors, machinery merchants and flour millers. In October 1891, Wilson came to Perth, Western Australia
to take up an appointment as managing director of the Canning Jarrah Timber Company, a position that he held until 1899. He became director of numerous other companies, and acted as a mining agent. For many years he was president of the Timber merchants and Saw Millers' Association, and from 1899 until 1902 he was president of the Perth Chamber of Commerce.
In 1895, Wilson was elected to East Ward on the Perth City Council, and two years later was elected to the Western Australian Legislative Assembly
seat of Canning
, where he sat in opposition to Premier John Forrest
. In the general election of 1901, Wilson successfully contested the seat of Perth
, his Canning seat having been abolished under the Constitution Acts Amendment Act 1899. On 21 November 1901, he was appointed Commissioner for Railways and Minister for Railways and Mines in Alf Morgans
' government, but lost his seat to William Purkiss
in the subsequent ministerial by-election. After unsuccessfully contesting the Legislative Assembly seat of Claremont
in a by-election on 11 June 1902, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly seat of Sussex
on 28 June 1904, which seat he then held for over thirteen years.
Wilson was Minister for Works for the duration of Cornthwaite Rason
's government, from August 1905 until May 1906. He might then have become premier but stood aside in favour of Newton Moore
. In Moore's ministry Wilson was initially appointed Colonial Treasurer, Minister for Agriculture and Minister for Education. By June 1909 he had relinquished these portfolios, and he was then appointed Minister for Works. For part of 1910, he was acting premier while Moore was absent in England.
On 16 September 1910, Moore resigned the premiership on the grounds of ill health, and Wilson became Premier and Colonial Treasurer. His government was responsible for the legislation that established the University of Western Australia
, and also initiated the Redistribution of Seats Bill 1911. In June 1911, Wilson was made CMG.
Wilson held the office of premier until the general election of 7 October 1911, when his government was heavily defeated by the Labour party. He then became Leader of the Opposition until July 1916. During this time, he was chosen as a foundation member of the Senate of the University of Western Australia, and would remain a member until December 1915. He also represented Western Australia at the coronation
of King George V
in June 1911.
Labour was returned in the election of 1914, but its majority was reduced to a margin of two seats. Over the next two years, two Labour members resigned. Labour lost both by-elections, so that by November 1916, the government had only 24 seats in a house of fifty. On 27 July 1916, the Liberal and Country parties cooperated to defeat the government in the Legislative Assembly. After being refused a dissolution of Parliament by the governor, the premier John Scaddan
resigned, and Wilson became premier for the second time.
Although the Country Party cooperated with the Liberals in bringing down Scaddan's Labour government, they declined to form a coalition ministry, and they were inconsistent in their support of Wilson's government. At one point in February 1917, a dispute between the parties prompted Wilson to tender his resignation, but this was refused by the governor. At the same time, federal party politics was being transformed by the "nationalist movement", a reconstruction of the party system along the lines of the conscription debate. There was some pressure on Wilson to form a Nationalist Party at the state level, and this pressure increased after Billy Hughes
' Nationalist Party
easily won the federal election of May 1917. Later that month, Wilson called a meeting of Liberal, Country Party and National Labor members, and a Nationalist Party was formed. However in early June the members of the new party voted to reconstruct the ministry by caucus election. Realising that the intention was to oust the current ministry, Wilson and three of his ministers walked out of the meeting. Two weeks later, Henry Lefroy
was elected leader of the party, leaving Wilson with no choice but to resign as premier. He did so on 28 June 1917, and sat as an independent until the general elections of 29 September 1917, in which he lost his seat by a margin of four votes.
Wilson's health had been poor for some time, and shortly after the election he became seriously ill, and underwent surgery. He died at Claremont, Western Australia
on 7 December 1918, and was buried at Karrakatta Cemetery
.
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....
(12 May 1859 – 7 December 1918), was the ninth Premier of Western Australia
Premier of Western Australia
The Premier of Western Australia is the head of the executive government in the Australian State of Western Australia. The Premier has similar functions in Western Australia to those performed by the Prime Minister of Australia at the national level, subject to the different Constitutions...
, serving on two separate occasions.
Frank Wilson was born at Monkwearmouth
Monkwearmouth
Monkwearmouth is an area of Sunderland located at the north side of the mouth of the River Wear. It was one of the three original settlements on the banks of the River Wear along with Bishopwearmouth and Sunderland, the area now known as the East End. It includes the area around St. Peter's Church...
, Sunderland
City of Sunderland
The City of Sunderland is a local government district of Tyne and Wear, in North East England, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough...
, 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...
on 12 May 1859. He was educated in Sunderland, then Moravian School in Neuwied
Neuwied
Neuwied is a town in the north of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, capital of the District of Neuwied. Neuwied lies on the right bank of the Rhine, 12 km northwest of Koblenz, on the railway from Frankfurt am Main to Cologne...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and finally at Wesley College
Wesley College, Sheffield
Wesley College, a school to educate the sons of the laity, opened in 1838 in new buildings designed by William Flockton on Glossop Road, Sheffield, England. It was founded by Rev...
, Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
. He was then apprenticed to Peacock Bros. and Sons, a Sunderland firm of shipbrokers and timber merchants. At the age of nineteen, he joined his brother in the establishment of an engineering works. Two years later, he married Annie Phillips.
Wilson remained in the engineering business for eight years, until an engineering strike in 1886 caused the business substantial losses. The following year he sailed for 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...
, where he initially ran his own business, and later became manager of A. Overend and Company, a well-known firm of railway contractors, machinery merchants and flour millers. In October 1891, Wilson came to Perth, Western Australia
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....
to take up an appointment as managing director of the Canning Jarrah Timber Company, a position that he held until 1899. He became director of numerous other companies, and acted as a mining agent. For many years he was president of the Timber merchants and Saw Millers' Association, and from 1899 until 1902 he was president of the Perth Chamber of Commerce.
In 1895, Wilson was elected to East Ward on the Perth City Council, and two years later was elected to 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 Canning
Electoral district of Canning
The Electoral district of Canning was an electorate in the state of Western Australia. The electorate, which was named for the Canning River which ran through the electorate, was first contested at the 1897 elections and was abolished in the 1988 redistribution...
, where he sat in opposition to Premier John Forrest
John Forrest
Sir John Forrest GCMG was an Australian explorer, the first Premier of Western Australia and a cabinet minister in Australia's first federal parliament....
. In the general election of 1901, Wilson successfully contested the seat of Perth
Electoral district of Perth
The Electoral district of Perth is a Legislative Assembly electorate in the state of Western Australia. Perth is named for the capital city of Western Australia whose central business district falls within its borders. It is one of the oldest electorates in Western Australia, with its first member...
, his Canning seat having been abolished under the Constitution Acts Amendment Act 1899. On 21 November 1901, he was appointed Commissioner for Railways and Minister for Railways and Mines in Alf Morgans
Alf Morgans
Alfred Edward Morgans was Premier of Western Australia for just 32 days, from 21 November to 23 December 1901.-Early life and career:...
' government, but lost his seat to William Purkiss
William Purkiss
William Morton Purkiss was a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 1901 to 1904.Born in Hobart, Tasmania in 1844, Purkiss was the son of draper William Morton Purkiss and Ann Jean nee Walker. He was educated at Horton College in the town of Ross, then emigrated to New Zealand...
in the subsequent ministerial by-election. After unsuccessfully contesting the Legislative Assembly seat of Claremont
Electoral district of Claremont
Claremont was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia from 1901 to 1968.Located in the affluent western suburbs of Perth, it was a safe seat for the Liberal Party and its predecessor parties...
in a by-election on 11 June 1902, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly seat of Sussex
Electoral district of Sussex
Sussex was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia from 1890 to 1950.The district was based in south-western Western Australia, including areas such as Busselton and Margaret River, and was named for the Sussex land district which formed its...
on 28 June 1904, which seat he then held for over thirteen years.
Wilson was Minister for Works for the duration of Cornthwaite Rason
Cornthwaite Rason
Sir Cornthwaite Hector William James Rason , better known as Hector Rason, was the seventh Premier of Western Australia....
's government, from August 1905 until May 1906. He might then have become premier but stood aside in favour of Newton Moore
Newton Moore
Major-General Sir Newton James Moore KCMG , was the eighth Premier of Western Australia and a member of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1932....
. In Moore's ministry Wilson was initially appointed Colonial Treasurer, Minister for Agriculture and Minister for Education. By June 1909 he had relinquished these portfolios, and he was then appointed Minister for Works. For part of 1910, he was acting premier while Moore was absent in England.
On 16 September 1910, Moore resigned the premiership on the grounds of ill health, and Wilson became Premier and Colonial Treasurer. His government was responsible for the legislation that established the University of Western Australia
University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia was established by an Act of the Western Australian Parliament in February 1911, and began teaching students for the first time in 1913. It is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia and the only university in the state to be a member of the...
, and also initiated the Redistribution of Seats Bill 1911. In June 1911, Wilson was made CMG.
Wilson held the office of premier until the general election of 7 October 1911, when his government was heavily defeated by the Labour party. He then became Leader of the Opposition until July 1916. During this time, he was chosen as a foundation member of the Senate of the University of Western Australia, and would remain a member until December 1915. He also represented Western Australia at the coronation
Coronation
A coronation is a ceremony marking the formal investiture of a monarch and/or their consort with regal power, usually involving the placement of a crown upon their head and the presentation of other items of regalia...
of King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
in June 1911.
Labour was returned in the election of 1914, but its majority was reduced to a margin of two seats. Over the next two years, two Labour members resigned. Labour lost both by-elections, so that by November 1916, the government had only 24 seats in a house of fifty. On 27 July 1916, the Liberal and Country parties cooperated to defeat the government in the Legislative Assembly. After being refused a dissolution of Parliament by the governor, the premier John Scaddan
John Scaddan
John Scaddan, CMG , popularly known as "Happy Jack", was Premier of Western Australia from 7 October 1911 until 27 July 1916.- Biography :...
resigned, and Wilson became premier for the second time.
Although the Country Party cooperated with the Liberals in bringing down Scaddan's Labour government, they declined to form a coalition ministry, and they were inconsistent in their support of Wilson's government. At one point in February 1917, a dispute between the parties prompted Wilson to tender his resignation, but this was refused by the governor. At the same time, federal party politics was being transformed by the "nationalist movement", a reconstruction of the party system along the lines of the conscription debate. There was some pressure on Wilson to form a Nationalist Party at the state level, and this pressure increased after Billy Hughes
Billy Hughes
William Morris "Billy" Hughes, CH, KC, MHR , Australian politician, was the seventh Prime Minister of Australia from 1915 to 1923....
' Nationalist Party
Nationalist Party of Australia
The Nationalist Party of Australia was an Australian political party. It was formed on 17 February 1917 from a merger between the conservative Commonwealth Liberal Party and the National Labor Party, the name given to the pro-conscription defectors from the Australian Labor Party led by Prime...
easily won the federal election of May 1917. Later that month, Wilson called a meeting of Liberal, Country Party and National Labor members, and a Nationalist Party was formed. However in early June the members of the new party voted to reconstruct the ministry by caucus election. Realising that the intention was to oust the current ministry, Wilson and three of his ministers walked out of the meeting. Two weeks later, Henry Lefroy
Henry Lefroy
Sir Henry Bruce Lefroy KCMG was the eleventh Premier of Western Australia.-Biography:Lefroy was born in Perth, Western Australia on 24 March 1854. His father was Anthony O'Grady Lefroy, Colonial Treasurer of Western Australia for over 30 years...
was elected leader of the party, leaving Wilson with no choice but to resign as premier. He did so on 28 June 1917, and sat as an independent until the general elections of 29 September 1917, in which he lost his seat by a margin of four votes.
Wilson's health had been poor for some time, and shortly after the election he became seriously ill, and underwent surgery. He died at Claremont, Western Australia
Claremont, Western Australia
Claremont is a western suburb of Perth, Western Australia on the north bank of the Swan River.-History:Prior to European settlement, the Noongar people used the area as a source of water, for fishing and for catching waterfowl. In 1830, John Butler, a settler, set up an inn at Freshwater Bay to...
on 7 December 1918, and was buried at 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...
.