William Haines (Australian politician)
| William Clark Haines | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 1st Premier of Victoria | |
|
In office 30 November 1855 – 11 March 1857 | |
| Constituency |
Nominee/ South Grant |
| Preceded by | - |
| Succeeded by | John O'Shanassy |
|
In office 29 April 1857 – 10 March 1858 | |
| Preceded by | John O'Shanassy |
| Succeeded by | John O'Shanassy |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
1810 Hampstead, London, UK |
| Died |
3 February 1866 South Yarra, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Dugard |
| Religion | Anglican |
Dr William Clark Haines (1810 – 3 February 1866),[1] Australian colonial politician, was the first Premier of Victoria.
Haines was born in London, the son of John Haines, a physician. He was educated at Charterhouse School and Caius College, Cambridge,[2] where he graduated in medicine; he later practiced surgery for several years. In 1835 he married Mary Dugard, with whom he had nine children.
Haines migrated to the Port Phillip District (later Victoria) in 1841 and settled in the Geelong area. He farmed in the area as well as practising as a surgeon. He was appointed a member of the Victorian Legislative Council (then a partly elected, partly appointive body) in 1851, and in 1853 he was elected for district of Grant. He served as Colonial Secretary 1854-55. Politically, he represented the small farmers against the squatters who owned most of Victoria's land.
When Victoria gained full responsible government in 1855, Haines was leader of the Government.[1] He was commissioned as Victoria's first Premier and Chief Secretary on 28 November 1855 and served until 11 March 1857.[3] Haines was elected to the Legislative Assembly for South Grant in November 1856.[3][4] Haines was again Premier from April 1857 to March 1858. Haines then visited Europe for three years.[4] In 1860 he moved to the seat of Portland which he represented until 1864. Haines served as Treasurer from 14 November 1861 to 27 June 1863,[3] in the third O'Shanassy government. He served again in the Legislative Council, representing Eastern Province, from August 1865 until his death in February 1866.[3]
The historian Raymond Wright describes Haines as a bluff, plain "honest farmer" type, who was "much enjoyed for his appalling public speaking." His main concern as Premier was to democratise the Constitution which had been drawn up for Victoria by colonial officials before self-government, mainly to protect the interests of the squatter class. A bill was introduced to enlarge the Assembly, redraw electoral boundaries and abolish the property qualification for both votes and candidates. But the unstable situation in the Assembly brought his ministry to an early end.
References
- 1 2 Malone, Betty. "Haines, William Clark (1810–1866)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: Australian National University. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
- ↑ "Haines, William Clark (HNS828WC)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
- 1 2 3 4 "Haines, William Clark". re-member: a database of all Victorian MPs since 1851. Parliament of Victoria. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
- 1 2 Mennell, Philip (1892). "
Haines, Hon. William Clarke". The Dictionary of Australasian Biography. London: Hutchinson & Co. Wikisource
Further sources
- Geoff Browne, A Biographical Register of the Victorian Parliament, 1900-84, Government Printer, Melbourne, 1985
- Don Garden, Victoria: A History, Thomas Nelson, Melbourne, 1984
- Kathleen Thompson and Geoffrey Serle, A Biographical Register of the Victorian Parliament, 1856-1900, Australian National University Press, Canberra, 1972
- Raymond Wright, A People's Counsel. A History of the Parliament of Victoria, 1856-1990, Oxford University Press, Melbourne, 1992
| Victorian Legislative Council | ||
|---|---|---|
| New creation | Nominated Member 31 October 1851 – August 1852 |
Succeeded by Archibald Michie |
| New seat | Member for Grant August 1853 – December 1854 With: John Myles |
Succeeded by Horatio Wills |
| Preceded by John Foster |
Nominated Member and Colonial Secretary 12 December 1854 – March 1856 |
Original Council abolished |
| Political offices | ||
| New creation | Premier of Victoria 30 November 1855 - March 1857 (First Term) |
Succeeded by John O'Shanassy (First Term) |
| Preceded by John O'Shanassy (First Term) |
Premier of Victoria April 1857- March 1858 (Second Term) |
Succeeded by John O'Shanassy (Second Term) |
| Victorian Legislative Assembly | ||
| New creation | Member for South Grant November 1856 – November 1858 With: Horatio Wills John Myles |
Succeeded by John Bell |
| Preceded by Norman McLeod |
Member for Portland November 1860 – August 1864 |
Succeeded by John MacPherson |
| Victorian Legislative Council | ||
| Preceded by Matthew Hervey |
Member for Eastern Province April 1857– September 1880 With: Henry Murphy William Highett Robert Turnbull Benjamin Williams |
Succeeded by Robert S. H. Anderson |
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