John Foulkes

John Charles Griffiths Foulkes (22 March 1861 – 4 December 1935) served in both houses of the Parliament of Western Australia, as a member of the Legislative Council from 1894 to 1896 and as a member of the Legislative Assembly from 1902 to 1911.

Foulkes was born in Llanyblodwel, Shropshire, England, a small village on the Welsh border. He attended Shrewsbury School before going on to St John's College, Cambridge, where he graduated in 1884. Foulkes afterward trained as a solicitor, serving his articles of clerkship in Wrexham, Wales. He came to Western Australia in 1890, and set up a law practice in Bunbury.^[1] In 1894, he stood for the Legislative Council's South-West Province, and was elected to a two-year term. In December 1895, Foulkes left on a health trip to Europe, intending to return in time to contest his seat at the 1896 Legislative Council elections.^[2] However, on the return voyage, his wife was taken ill with malaria, forcing them to remain in Italy while she recovered (and him to miss the election and thus lose his seat).^[3]

After eventually arriving back in Australia, Foulkes moved his law practice to Perth.^[1] He re-entered parliament at the 1902 Claremont by-election, which had been caused by the resignation of the sitting member, William Sayer, and retained it at the 1904 state election.^[4] When parliament sat for the first time after the 1904 election, Foulkes was nominated by the government of Walter James (recently reduced to a minority in the assembly) to serve as speaker. The opposing candidate, Mathieson Jacoby, was elected "by a large margin", a result which was said to have marked "the beginning of the end" for the James government.^[5] Foulkes remained in parliament until his retirement at the 1911 state election, and in 1913 returned to England. He died in London in December 1935, aged 74. His brother-in-law, Adam Jameson, was also a member of parliament.^[1]

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