Walter Griffiths
Encyclopedia
Walter Griffiths was a member of the South Australian House of Assembly
.
, the son of Frederick Griffiths, a wealthy ironmonger, and his wife Helen, née Giles, Griffiths attended St Aloysius College and Saint Peter's College
in Adelaide
.
Aged fifteen Griffiths moved to Yam Creek in the Northern Territory
to work for his uncle William Griffiths, a mine owner, before becoming a business partner of Vaiben Solomon
in mining ventures in the Northern Territory and the Western Australia
n goldfields,, co-owned the Northern Territory Times and became a prominent member of the Kalgoorlie Chamber of Mines.
On his uncle's death in 1892, Griffiths took over the business, retaining his association with Solomon, who in 1890, had become one of the two members for the Electoral district of Northern Territory
in the South Australian House of Assembly
. At the 1893 South Australian election Griffiths was elected, along with Solomon, to the Northern Territory seat. Aged 25, Griffiths was the youngest member of the House.
As member for the Northern Territory, Griffiths travelled large distances, including horseback between Maree
(where the train line from Adelaide ended) to Palmerston
, and visiting other remote areas of his electorate by camel and horse.
Griffiths was strongly opposed to Asian immigration
, believing that jobs would be taken away from locals, and women's suffrage, arguing that women could not be taken "down from the pedestal upon which she was placed into the pitch of politics". Griffiths lobbied heavily against women's suffrage
in South Australia and the Northern Territory. While the suffrage bill succeeded, Griffiths was comfortably re-elected at the subsequent election.
Heavily involved in the Federation
issue, Griffiths campaigned heavily throughout the goldfields for Western Australia to join the Commonwealth of Australia. Following the refusal of the Government of Western Australia
to hold a referendum on Federation, in December 1899 Griffiths helped form the Eastern Goldfields Reform League. The League gathered signatures for a petition to be presented to Queen Victoria
seeking the creation of a new Australian state called Auralia
, which would then join the federation. Griffiths travelled to London
in early 1900 to present the petition and lobby the British government to either agree to the creation of Auralia or force Western Australia to federate.
Following the refusal of senior British figures to meet with him, Griffiths left London only when advised that Premier of Western Australia
Sir John Forrest
had agreed to a referendum on federation.
While he was still in England, The South Australian Government appointed Griffiths a Special Commissioner on mining matters, but within a few weeks of his arrival back in Adelaide in late June, Griffiths was diagnosed with typhoid fever. He died at Miss Tibbitt's Private Hospital in Adelaide on 4 September 1900, aged 33. An obituary stated
South Australian House of Assembly
The House of Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. The other is the Legislative Council. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Adelaide.- Overview :...
.
Background
Born in Kent Town, South AustraliaKent Town, South Australia
Kent Town is an inner urban suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters.-History:The suburb was named after Dr Benjamin Archer Kent, who established a farm and flour mill on which the suburb now stands.....
, the son of Frederick Griffiths, a wealthy ironmonger, and his wife Helen, née Giles, Griffiths attended St Aloysius College and Saint Peter's College
St Peter's College, Adelaide
St Peter's College, , is an independent boy's school in the South Australian capital of Adelaide...
in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
.
Aged fifteen Griffiths moved to Yam Creek in the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
to work for his uncle William Griffiths, a mine owner, before becoming a business partner of Vaiben Solomon
Vaiben Solomon
Vaiben Louis Solomon was the 21st Premier of South Australia and a member of the first Australian Commonwealth parliament....
in mining ventures in the Northern Territory and the 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...
n goldfields,, co-owned the Northern Territory Times and became a prominent member of the Kalgoorlie Chamber of Mines.
On his uncle's death in 1892, Griffiths took over the business, retaining his association with Solomon, who in 1890, had become one of the two members for the Electoral district of Northern Territory
Electoral district of Northern Territory
The Electoral district of Northern Territory was an electoral district of the South Australian House of Assembly from 1890 to 1911. The electorate encompassed all of what is the Northern Territory when the Territory was included as part of South Australia for political purposes.The district...
in the South Australian House of Assembly
South Australian House of Assembly
The House of Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. The other is the Legislative Council. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Adelaide.- Overview :...
. At the 1893 South Australian election Griffiths was elected, along with Solomon, to the Northern Territory seat. Aged 25, Griffiths was the youngest member of the House.
As member for the Northern Territory, Griffiths travelled large distances, including horseback between Maree
Marree, South Australia
Marree is a small town located in the north of South Australia. It lies North of Adelaide at the junction of the Oodnadatta Track and the Birdsville Track, above sea level. The area is the home of the Dieri people. At the 2006 census, Marree had a population of 70.The town was home to Australia's...
(where the train line from Adelaide ended) to Palmerston
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
, and visiting other remote areas of his electorate by camel and horse.
Griffiths was strongly opposed to Asian immigration
White Australia policy
The White Australia policy comprises various historical policies that intentionally restricted "non-white" immigration to Australia. From origins at Federation in 1901, the polices were progressively dismantled between 1949-1973....
, believing that jobs would be taken away from locals, and women's suffrage, arguing that women could not be taken "down from the pedestal upon which she was placed into the pitch of politics". Griffiths lobbied heavily against women's suffrage
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
in South Australia and the Northern Territory. While the suffrage bill succeeded, Griffiths was comfortably re-elected at the subsequent election.
Heavily involved in the Federation
Federation of Australia
The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia formed one nation...
issue, Griffiths campaigned heavily throughout the goldfields for Western Australia to join the Commonwealth of Australia. Following the refusal of the Government of Western Australia
Government of Western Australia
The formation of the Government of Western Australia is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1890, although it has been amended many times since then...
to hold a referendum on Federation, in December 1899 Griffiths helped form the Eastern Goldfields Reform League. The League gathered signatures for a petition to be presented to Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
seeking the creation of a new Australian state called Auralia
Auralia
Auralia was a proposed state that would have been formed out of the south-eastern portion of the colony of Western Australia in the early twentieth century , and would have joined the newly formed Commonwealth of Australia...
, which would then join the federation. Griffiths travelled to 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...
in early 1900 to present the petition and lobby the British government to either agree to the creation of Auralia or force Western Australia to federate.
Following the refusal of senior British figures to meet with him, Griffiths left London only when advised that 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...
Sir 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....
had agreed to a referendum on federation.
While he was still in England, The South Australian Government appointed Griffiths a Special Commissioner on mining matters, but within a few weeks of his arrival back in Adelaide in late June, Griffiths was diagnosed with typhoid fever. He died at Miss Tibbitt's Private Hospital in Adelaide on 4 September 1900, aged 33. An obituary stated
in the untimely death of Mr. Walter Griffiths, in the prime of life, this settlement has lost the services of a clever, shrewd, representative, whatever may have been his faults or weaknesses, always fairly and squarely did his best to carry out the duties he had undertaken to perform is his capacity as one of the members for the Northern Territory.