William Piddington
Encyclopedia
William Richman Piddington (1815 – 25 November 1887) was an Australian bookseller and politician. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
between 1856 and 1877 and a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council
from 1879 until his death. He served two brief terms as the Colonial Treasurer of New South Wales in 1872 and 1877.
and an alderman of the Sydney Municipal Council in 1851.
which he represented until 1877. In 1869 he accepted a life appointment to the Legislative Council.
in 1872 and 1877. He supported the extension of the rural railway network and was a strong opponent of state aid for religious schools. In his later years his political opinions became more conservative and he opposed the granting of universal male suffrage. He was described by David Buchanan as 'a little, squat, burly piece of pompous vulgarity' who 'abandoned all his political opinions and turned Tory'.
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...
between 1856 and 1877 and a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council
New South Wales Legislative Council
The New South Wales Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of New South Wales in Australia. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney. The Assembly is referred to as the lower house and the Council as...
from 1879 until his death. He served two brief terms as the Colonial Treasurer of New South Wales in 1872 and 1877.
Early life
Piddington came from a family of booksellers and initially apprenticed to a bookshop in Bond Street London. He emigrated to Sydney in 1838 and after farming for a short time on the Hunter River established a stationary and book shop in Sydney. Philosophically a radical, he became politically active during the 1840s and 1850s and opposed the conservative constitution proposed by William Wentworth. He was a member of the committee of the Anti-Transportation LeagueAustralasian Anti-Transportation League
The Australasian Anti-Transportation League was a body established to oppose Penal transportation to Australia. Beginning in Van Diemen's Land in the late 1840s, it had branches in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, and Canterbury...
and an alderman of the Sydney Municipal Council in 1851.
State Parliament
At the first election under the new constitution Piddington successfully contested the seats of Northumberland and Hunter. When this seat was abolished at the 1859 election he transferred to the seat of HawkesburyElectoral district of Hawkesbury
Hawkesbury is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It was represented by Steven Pringle, formerly of the Liberal Party of Australia, who contested the 2007 election as an independent but was defeated by Ray Williams of the Liberal Party of...
which he represented until 1877. In 1869 he accepted a life appointment to the Legislative Council.
Government
Piddington was the Colonial Treasurer of New South Wales in two short lived governments of Henry ParkesHenry 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...
in 1872 and 1877. He supported the extension of the rural railway network and was a strong opponent of state aid for religious schools. In his later years his political opinions became more conservative and he opposed the granting of universal male suffrage. He was described by David Buchanan as 'a little, squat, burly piece of pompous vulgarity' who 'abandoned all his political opinions and turned Tory'.