Richard Driver
Encyclopedia
Richard Driver (16 September 1829 – 8 July 1880) was a Sydney
solicitor, politician and cricket administrator.
Driver was born in Cabramatta
, New South Wales
, son of Richard Driver, hotel-keeper, and his wife Elizabeth, née Powell. In 1859, he became a solicitor for the of Sydney City Council
and also carried out a practice in the Sydney
police court.
Driver unsuccessfully contested three seats in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
in 1858 and was defeated again for East Sydney
in 1859, but won West Macquarie
in 1860 and held it to 1869. He was the member for Carcoar
from 1869 to 1872 and Windsor from 1872 to his death in 1880. He generally supported Henry Parkes
, but turned down an offer of to be made minister of mines in 1872. He became minister for lands in Parkes' 1877 government and as a cricket
lover he provided £700 for improvements to the Sydney Cricket Ground
and vested the ground in trustees in 1879, including himself as the representative of the New South Wales Cricket Association
.
From 1860 to 1880 Driver was an important organizer of visits by English cricket teams and intercolonial matches. In 1871, he married Elizabeth Margaret Marlow. He died in the Sydney suburb of Randwick
and is buried at Waverley Cemetery
. A road built in the 1890s outside the Sydney Cricket Ground called Driver Avenue is named in his honour.
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
solicitor, politician and cricket administrator.
Driver was born in Cabramatta
Cabramatta, New South Wales
Cabramatta is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Cabramatta is located 30 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Fairfield...
, 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...
, son of Richard Driver, hotel-keeper, and his wife Elizabeth, née Powell. In 1859, he became a solicitor for the of Sydney City Council
City of Sydney
The City of Sydney is the Local Government Area covering the Sydney central business district and surrounding inner city suburbs of the greater metropolitan area of Sydney, Australia...
and also carried out a practice in the Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
police court.
Driver unsuccessfully contested three seats in the New South Wales 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...
in 1858 and was defeated again for East Sydney
Electoral district of East Sydney
East Sydney was an electoral district for the Legislative Assembly in the Australian State of New South Wales created in 1859 from part of the electoral district of Sydney, covering the eastern part of the current Sydney central business district, Woolloomooloo, Potts Point, Elizabeth Bay and...
in 1859, but won West Macquarie
Electoral district of West Macquarie
West Macquarie was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales between 1859 and 1904, in the Bathurst region.-Members for West Macquarie:...
in 1860 and held it to 1869. He was the member for Carcoar
Electoral district of Carcoar
Carcoar was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales, originally created in 1859 in the Lithgow area and named after Carcoar. It replaced part of Western Boroughs and part of Bathurst . From 1880 to 1894, it elected two members. It was...
from 1869 to 1872 and Windsor from 1872 to his death in 1880. He generally supported Henry Parkes
Henry Parkes
Sir Henry Parkes, GCMG was an Australian statesman, the "Father of Federation." As the earliest advocate of a Federal Council of the colonies of Australia, a precursor to the Federation of Australia, he was the most prominent of the Australian Founding Fathers.Parkes was described during his...
, but turned down an offer of to be made minister of mines in 1872. He became minister for lands in Parkes' 1877 government and as a cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
lover he provided £700 for improvements to the Sydney Cricket Ground
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
and vested the ground in trustees in 1879, including himself as the representative of the New South Wales Cricket Association
New South Wales Cricket Association
The New South Wales Cricket Association is a sporting club who administer cricket in New South Wales, based at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Their trading name is Cricket NSW....
.
From 1860 to 1880 Driver was an important organizer of visits by English cricket teams and intercolonial matches. In 1871, he married Elizabeth Margaret Marlow. He died in the Sydney suburb of Randwick
Randwick, New South Wales
Randwick is a suburb in south-eastern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Randwick is located 6 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the City of Randwick...
and is buried at Waverley Cemetery
Waverley Cemetery
The Waverley Cemetery opened in 1877 and is a cemetery located on top of the cliffs at Bronte in the eastern suburbs of Sydney. It is noted for its largely intact Victorian and Edwardian monuments. The cemetery contains the graves of many significant Australians including the poet Henry Lawson and...
. A road built in the 1890s outside the Sydney Cricket Ground called Driver Avenue is named in his honour.