Mr Reginald Walter Darcy WEAVER (1876 - 1945)**

Date of Birth: 18/07/1876 Place of Birth: 'Kickerbil' Station, Liverpool Plains, New South Wales, Australia Date of Death: 12/11/1945 Place of Death: Hornsby, New South Wales, Australia

Parliamentary Service

Position Start End Period Notes Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly 24 Mar 1917 12 Nov 1945 28yr(s) 7mth(s) 20day(s) Member for Willoughby 24 Mar 1917 18 Feb 1920 2yr(s) 10mth(s) 26day(s) 24th (1917 - 1920) Member for North Shore 20 Mar 1920 17 Feb 1922 1yr(s) 10mth(s) 29day(s) 25th (1920 - 1922) Member for North Shore 25 Mar 1922 18 Apr 1925 3yr(s) 25day(s) 26th (1922 - 1925) Member for Neutral Bay 8 Oct 1927 18 Sep 1930 2yr(s) 11mth(s) 11day(s) 28th (1927 - 1930) Member for Neutral Bay 25 Oct 1930 18 May 1932 1yr(s) 6mth(s) 24day(s) 29th (1930 - 1932) Member for Neutral Bay 11 Jun 1932 12 Apr 1935 2yr(s) 10mth(s) 2day(s) 30th (1932 - 1935) Member for Neutral Bay 11 May 1935 24 Feb 1938 2yr(s) 9mth(s) 14day(s) 31st (1935 - 1938) Member for Neutral Bay 4 Mar 1938 18 Apr 1941 3yr(s) 1mth(s) 15day(s) 32nd (1938 - 1941) Member for Neutral Bay 10 May 1941 24 Apr 1944 2yr(s) 11mth(s) 15day(s) 33rd (1941 - 1944) Member for Neutral Bay 27 May 1944 12 Nov 1945 1yr(s) 5mth(s) 17day(s) 34th (1944 - 1947) Secretary for Mines and Minister for Forests 16 Apr 1929 3 Nov 1930 1yr(s) 6mth(s) 19day(s) Secretary for Public Works and Minister for Health 16 May 1932 10 Feb 1935 2yr(s) 8mth(s) 26day(s) Speaker of the Legislative Assembly 4 Aug 1937 27 May 1941 3yr(s) 9mth(s) 24day(s) The Governor's Opening Speech Committee No.1 17 Jul 1917 30 Mar 1918 8mths 14days 24th (1917 - 1920)

Political Party Activity

Nationalist Party; councillor 1925-1926, vice president 1929-1932. United Australia Party; councillor 1932-1938. Democratic Party 1944; leader. Involved in negotiations for the formation of the Liberal Party. Liberal Party; leader 20 April 1945 - 12 November 1945.

Qualifications, occupations and interests

Stock and real estate agent. Educated at Newington College; joined brothers in stock and land business at Forbes 1895-1896; subsequently in business on own account at Condobolin and Narrandera, and at Dubbo c.1911-1916; established an estate agency in Sydney in 1916; member of Farmers and Settlers' Association; director of Royal Prince Alfred Hospital 1929-1930; Protestant Federation 1921; supported New Guard; Christian Scientist.

Local Government Activity

Alderman at Condobolin 1898-1900 and Narrandera 1902.

Personal

Son of Richard Weaver, grazier, and Fanny Weaver, English migrants. Married Gertrude Susan Bond in c.1899 and had issue, 3 daughters and 1 son. Funeral at Northern Suburbs crematorium.

Additional Information

Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 12 Text from the book: 'The Presiding Officers of the Parliament of New South Wales', Sydney, 1995

Reginald Weaver was born in 1876 at Kickerbil Station on the Liverpool Plains. He married Gertrude Walker in 1899 and they had one son and three daughters. He worked with his brothers in a stock and land business in Forbes before establishing a Sydney based real estate agency in 1916. He had several years experience in local government as an alderman on the Condobolin Council between 1898 and 1900 and the Narrandera Council in 1902. A member of the United Australia Party, he was also a supporter of the New Guard. Weaver became heavily involved in negotiations involving the formation of the Liberal Party, of which he became State leader between 1944 and 1945. Unsuccessfully contesting the seats of Ashburnham in 1910 and Macquarie in 1913, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly as the Member for Willoughby between 1917 and 1920, for the North Shore from 1920 until 1925 and for Neutral Bay between 1927 until his death in 1945. Weaver had several Ministerial responsibilities including the Mines and Forests portfolio from 1929 until 1930 and the Public Works and Health portfolio from 1932 until he was dropped from the Ministry in 1935. He was elected Speaker of the Legislative Assembly between 1937 holding this office until 1941. As Speaker of the Legislative Assembly during World War II, Weaver held the view that national interest should outweigh political aspirations and allegiances. Consequently, he was able to maintain good order in the House by encouraging the House to abandon sectarianism in favour of unity in the face of national crisis. Weaver developed a reputation as an eloquent, hard hitting debater who took personal criticism well. After suffering a mild heart attack in the Legislative Assembly chamber on the evening of November 7, he drove himself home and died a week later on 12 November 1945 at Hornsby.

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