Frederick Henry Piesse
Encyclopedia
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....
(6 December 1853–29 June 1912) was a farmer, businessman and politician who is credited with much of the early development of the region around Katanning
Katanning, Western Australia
Katanning is a town located 277 km south east of Perth, Western Australia on the Great Southern Highway. At the 2006 census, Katanning had a population of 3,808.-History:...
, 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...
.
Frederick Piesse was born at Northam
Northam, Western Australia
Northam is a town in Western Australia, situated at the confluence of the Avon and Mortlock Rivers, about north-east of Perth in the Avon Valley. At the 2006 census, Northam had a population of 6,009. Northam is the largest town in the Avon region...
, Western Australia, on 6 December 1853. The son of policeman and magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
William Roper Piesse and Elizabeth Ellen née Oxley, among his brothers were Alfred Napolean Piesse, Arnold Piesse and Charles Austin Piesse, all of whom would follow Frederick into politics. Piesse was educated at state schools at Guildford
Guildford, Western Australia
Guildford is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located 13 km northeast of the city. Its Local Government Area is the City of Swan.-History:Guildford was established in 1829 on the Swan River, being sited near a permanent fresh water supply...
and Northam, and began his working life at the Northam
Northam, Western Australia
Northam is a town in Western Australia, situated at the confluence of the Avon and Mortlock Rivers, about north-east of Perth in the Avon Valley. At the 2006 census, Northam had a population of 6,009. Northam is the largest town in the Avon region...
general store. Later he went pearl fishing
Pearl hunting
Pearl hunting or pearl diving refers to a largely obsolete method of retrieving pearls from pearl oysters, freshwater pearl mussels and, on rare occasions, other nacre-producing molluscs, such as abalone.-History:...
at Shark Bay
Shark Bay
Shark Bay is a World Heritage listed bay in Western Australia. The term may also refer to:* the locality of Shark Bay, now known as Denham* Shark Bay Marine Park* Shark Bay , a shark exhibit at Sea World, Gold Coast, Australia* Shire of Shark Bay...
between 1872 and 1875. He was postmaster
Postmaster
A postmaster is the head of an individual post office. Postmistress is not used anymore in the United States, as the "master" component of the word refers to a person of authority and has no gender quality...
and telegraphist
Telegraphy
Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages via some form of signalling technology. Telegraphy requires messages to be converted to a code which is known to both sender and receiver...
at Williams
Williams, Western Australia
Williams is a town located in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, south-southeast of the state capital, Perth along Albany Highway and 32 kilometres west of Narrogin. The Williams River passes through the town. At the 2006 census, Williams had a population of 338.-History:Williams is...
between 1875 and 1880. On 18 October 1877 he married Mary Jane Elizabeth Chipper, with whom he would have four sons and a daughter.
In 1880, Piesse partnered with his brother Charles to launch the general produce firm of F. & C. Piesse at Williams. He set up a portable store in 1886, and followed the progress of the Great southern railway
Great Southern Railway (Western Australia)
The Great Southern Railway was the name of a railway company that operated from Beverley to Albany in Western Australia between 1886 and 1896. In 1896 the Western Australian Government Railways took over this company and the railway route also kept the name.- Construction :The first sods for the...
, finishing up at Katanning
Katanning, Western Australia
Katanning is a town located 277 km south east of Perth, Western Australia on the Great Southern Highway. At the 2006 census, Katanning had a population of 3,808.-History:...
. He then bought agricultural land near the railway and in 1891 built a flour mill in Katanning. He established a wine industry, making wines that won awards 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....
, 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...
and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
From 1880 onwards, Piesse became increasingly involved in public affairs. He was a member of the Williams Road Board
Shire of Williams
The Shire of Williams is a Local Government Area in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, about southeast of the state capital, Perth. The Shire covers an area of , and its seat of government is the town of Williams.-History:...
from 1880 to 1889, and its chairman from 1886. In 1889 he became a Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
, and from 1889 to 1896 he was on the Katanning Road Board
Shire of Katanning
The Shire of Katanning is a Local Government Area in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, about north of Albany and about southeast of the state capital, Perth. The Shire covers an area of , and its seat of government is the town of Katanning....
. From January 1894 to June 1896 he was also a member of the Board of Agriculture.
At the December 1890 election, Piesse 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 Williams
Electoral district of Williams (Western Australia)
Williams was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia from 1890 to 1950.A rural district named for the town of Williams in Western Australia's Wheatbelt region, it was one of the original 30 districts contested at the 1890 state election...
, becoming a member of the first Parliament of Western Australia
Parliament of Western Australia
The Parliament of Western Australia consists of the Legislative Council and the Legislative Assembly . The Parliament sits at Parliament House in Harvest Terrace, Perth....
under responsible government
Responsible government
Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability which is the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy...
. From 1 April 1896 to 23 August 1900, he was Commissioner for Railways and Director of Public Works 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...
. He was a Western Australian delegate to the Federal Convention of 1897
Constitutional Convention (Australia)
In Australian history, the term Constitutional Convention refers to four distinct gatherings.-1891 convention:The 1891 Constitutional Convention was held in Sydney in March 1891 to consider a draft Constitution for the proposed federation of the British colonies in Australia and New Zealand. There...
, and for a period in 1900 he was Acting 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...
. During George Leake
George Leake
George Leake CMG QC was Premier of Western Australia from 27 May 1901 to 21 November 1901, and again from 23 December 1901 until his death on 24 June 1902.-Early life:...
's first premiership from June to November 1901, Piesse was Leader of the Opposition
Leader of the Opposition (Western Australia)
The Leader of the Opposition in Western Australia is the leader of the largest minority political party or coalition of parties in the Legislative Assembly of the Parliament of Western Australia. By convention, he or she is generally a member of the Legislative Assembly...
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In the 1904 election, Piesse stood for and won the new seat of Katanning
Electoral district of Katanning
Katanning was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia from 1904 to 1989.The district was based around the town of Katanning in the southern part of the state...
. He would hold the seat until his resignation on 26 October 1909. For his last four years in parliament he was Father of the House
Father of the House
Father of the House is a term that has by tradition been unofficially bestowed on certain members of some national legislatures, most notably the House of Commons in the United Kingdom. In some legislatures the term refers to the oldest member, but in others it refers the longest-serving member.The...
. Piesse was made a CMG
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 1908. He died at Katanning on 29 June 1912, and was buried in Katanning Cemetery.