William Folster
Encyclopedia
William Folster was an Australia
n politician. He was an Australian Labor Party
member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
from 1930 until 1932, representing the electorate of Orange
.
Folster was born in Brunswick
in Victoria
, but his family moved to Orange
while he was a child. He was educated at Orange East Public School, and undertook an engineering apprentice
ship. He joined the Railways Department in 1915, working as a fitter at Wellington
, but was dismissed after a railway strike. He was re-employed in Wellington from 1917 until 1920, transferred to Tenterfield
from 1920 until 1924, then employed as a steam shed inspector at Nyngan
(1924-1926) and Murrurundi
(1926-1927). He resigned from the Railways Department in 1927 to open an engineering business in Orange.
Folster was the Labor candidate for the seat of Orange
at the 1927 state election
, but lost to sitting Nationalist MLA John Fitzpatrick
. Fitzpatrick retired in 1930, and Folster was again chosen to contest the seat for Labor. The rural Orange area was suffering badly due to the Great Depression
, and Folster campaigned on Labor leader Jack Lang
's radical proposals for a resolution. It was well-received by both Labor traditionalists and the district's increasingly desperate farmers, and Folster narrowly won the traditionally conservative seat. His career was to be short-lived, however; an increasingly controversial Lang was dismissed by the state Governor in 1932, and Folster was defeated by United Australia Party candidate Alwyn Tonking at the resulting election
, one of many Labor MLAs to lose their seats that year. He again contested Orange in 1935, but lost to Tonking a second time.
Folster joined the left-wing splinter Industrial Labor Party
under Robert Heffron
in 1939. Later in life Folster was a boiler inspector for the Western districts, and worked for the government during World War II
. He died at Orange in 1954, and was buried at the Orange cemetery.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n politician. He was an Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
member of 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...
from 1930 until 1932, representing the electorate of Orange
Electoral district of Orange
Orange is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Andrew Gee of the National Party of Australia....
.
Folster was born in Brunswick
Brunswick, Victoria
Brunswick is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moreland...
in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, but his family moved to Orange
Orange, New South Wales
Orange is a city in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. It is west of the state capital, Sydney, at an altitude of . Orange has an estimated population of 39,329 and the city is a major provincial centre....
while he was a child. He was educated at Orange East Public School, and undertook an engineering apprentice
Engineering apprentice
An engineering apprenticeship is an apprenticeship in mechanical engineering or electrical engineering. A typical example is the apprenticeships formerly available at the BTH and EEC at Rugby in England...
ship. He joined the Railways Department in 1915, working as a fitter at Wellington
Wellington, New South Wales
Wellington is a town in inland New South Wales, Australia located at the junction of the Macquarie and Bell Rivers. The town is the administrative centre of the Wellington Shire Local Government Area. The town is 362 kilometres from Sydney on the Great Western Highway and Mitchell Highway...
, but was dismissed after a railway strike. He was re-employed in Wellington from 1917 until 1920, transferred to Tenterfield
Tenterfield, New South Wales
Tenterfield is a town in New South Wales, Australia. It is located in the New England region at the intersection of the New England and Bruxner Highways. Tenterfield is a three-hour drive from Brisbane, 2.5 hours from Byron Bay, two hours from Armidale, New South Wales and 10 hours from Sydney....
from 1920 until 1924, then employed as a steam shed inspector at Nyngan
Nyngan, New South Wales
Nyngan [pr: ning-g'n] is a town in the central west of New South Wales, Australia. It is located in the Bogan Shire Local Government Area. At the 2006 census, Nyngan had a population of 1,975 people. Nyngan is situated on the Bogan River between Narromine and Bourke, on the junction of the...
(1924-1926) and Murrurundi
Murrurundi, New South Wales
Murrurundi is a rural town in Upper Hunter Shire, located in the Upper Hunter Valley of New South Wales. Murrurundi, which is 193 km by road from Newcastle and 309 km from Sydney, has a population of 1,330 people...
(1926-1927). He resigned from the Railways Department in 1927 to open an engineering business in Orange.
Folster was the Labor candidate for the seat of Orange
Electoral district of Orange
Orange is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Andrew Gee of the National Party of Australia....
at the 1927 state election
New South Wales state election, 1927
The 1927 New South Wales state election to elect the 90 members of the 28th Legislative Assembly was held on 8 October 1927. During the previous parliament the voting system, which had been a form of proportional representation with multi-member seats and a single transferable vote , was changed...
, but lost to sitting Nationalist MLA John Fitzpatrick
John Fitzpatrick (New South Wales politician)
John Charles Lucas Fitzpatrick was an Australian politician and journalist.Fitzpatrick was born in Moama in the Riverina region of New South Wales, but his family moved to Windsor in 1869. He was educated at a catholic school and he was apprenticed to the former Australian newspaper's Windsor...
. Fitzpatrick retired in 1930, and Folster was again chosen to contest the seat for Labor. The rural Orange area was suffering badly due to the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, and Folster campaigned on Labor leader Jack Lang
Jack Lang (Australian politician)
John Thomas Lang , usually referred to as J.T. Lang during his career, and familiarly known as "Jack" and nicknamed "The Big Fella" was an Australian politician who was Premier of New South Wales for two terms...
's radical proposals for a resolution. It was well-received by both Labor traditionalists and the district's increasingly desperate farmers, and Folster narrowly won the traditionally conservative seat. His career was to be short-lived, however; an increasingly controversial Lang was dismissed by the state Governor in 1932, and Folster was defeated by United Australia Party candidate Alwyn Tonking at the resulting election
New South Wales state election, 1932
The 1932 New South Wales state election was held on 11 June 1932. This election was for all of the 90 seats in the 30th New South Wales Legislative Assembly and it was conducted in single member constituencies with compulsory preferential voting...
, one of many Labor MLAs to lose their seats that year. He again contested Orange in 1935, but lost to Tonking a second time.
Folster joined the left-wing splinter Industrial Labor Party
Industrial Labor Party
The Industrial Labor Party or Heffron Labor Party was a political party active in New South Wales, Australia, between 1938 and 1939. It was a splinter group of the Australian Labor Party and was formed by Bob Heffron after he and Carlo Lazzarini attempted to depose the party leader Jack Lang...
under Robert Heffron
Robert Heffron
Robert James "Bob" Heffron was one of the longest-serving New South Wales state parliamentarians. He was the Australian Labor Party Premier of New South Wales from 28 October 1959, to 30 April 1964.-Early years:...
in 1939. Later in life Folster was a boiler inspector for the Western districts, and worked for the government during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He died at Orange in 1954, and was buried at the Orange cemetery.