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Former Speakers of the Legislative Assembly

Former Speakers of the Legislative Assembly

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​​​​Sir Daniel Cooper
The First ​Elected Speaker of the Legislative Assembly 

Sir Daniel Cooper was born in Lancashire, England. He emigrated to New South Wales with his parents as a child. He was elected Speaker of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly on 22 May 1856, when he was only thirty five years old. 

The task of presiding over the Assembly was a difficult responsibility because the infant Parliament had yet to establish its own set of procedural traditions. Cooper provided much needed direction in the early years of the Assembly both in terms of business brought before the House and the development of Parliamentary conventions.​

The First Female Speaker of the Legislative Assembly 
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​​​The Hon Shelley Hancock was elected as a Member for the South Coast in 2003. On​ the 3rd of May 2011, she was appointed to be the first female Speaker and Presiding Officer of the 55th Parliament in the ​​Legislative Assembly. 

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​ Fountain court exhibition ​​ Shelley Elizabeth Hancock​​

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All Fo​rmer Sp​eakers ​​ ​  

Name Date When First Elected Date of Expiration of Office
The Hon Sir Daniel Cooper, Kt
22 May 185631 January 1860 – Resigned
The Hon Sir Terence Aubrey Murray31 January 1860
13 October 1862 – Appointed President of the Legislative Council
The Hon Sir John Hay14 October 186231 October 1865 – Resigned
The Hon William Munnings Arnold1 November 18651 March 1875 – Deceased
The Hon Sir George Wigram Allen, Kt23 March 187523 November 1882 – Parliament dissolved
The Hon Sir Edmund Barton3 January 188331 January 1887* – Parliament dissolved, 26 January 1887
The Hon James Henry Young8 March 188721 October 1890 – Resigned
The Hon Sir Joseph Palmer Abbott, K.C.M.G22 October 189012 June 1900 – Resigned
The Hon William McCourt13 June 190014 November 1910* – Parliament dissolved, 14 September 1910
The Hon John Henry Cann15 November 191031 July 1911 – Resigned
The Hon Henry Willis24 August 191122 July 1913 – Resigned
The Hon Henry Douglas Morton22 July 191322 December 1913* – Parliament dissolved, 6 November 1913
The Hon Richard Denis Meagher23 December 191316 April 1917* – Parliament dissolved, 21 February 1917
The Hon John Jacob Cohen17 April 191730 January 1919 – Resigned
The Hon Sir Daniel Levy, B.A., LL.B.19 August 191912 December 1921 – Resigned
The Hon Simon Hickey13 December 192120 December 1921 – Resigned
The Hon Sir Daniel Levy, B.A., LL.B.20 December 192123 June 1925* – Parliament Expired, 18 April 1925
The Hon James Thomas Dooley24 June 19252 November 1927* – Parliament dissolved, 7 September 1927
The Hon Sir Daniel Levy, Kt., B.A., LL.B.3 November 192724 November 1930* - Parliament dissolved, 18 September 1930
The Hon Francis Michael Burke25 November 193023 June 1932* - Parliament dissolved, 18 May 1932
The Hon Sir Daniel Levy, Kt., B.A., LL.B.24 June 193220 May 1937 – Deceased
William Whaley Hedges
Acting Speaker during absence from State of Sir Daniel Levy, 25 March to 29 October 1936 (See Constitution Act 1902, Sec. 31A)
The Hon Reginald Walter Darcy Weaver4 August 193727 May 1941* - Parliament dissolved, 18 April 1941
The Hon Daniel Clyne28 May 194127 May 1947* - Parliament dissolved, 29 March 1947
The Hon William Henry Lamb28 May 194720 April 1959* - Parliament dissolved, 16 February 1959
George Booth Acting Speaker during absence from State of the Hon William Henry Lamb, 16 June to 29 June 1955, also from 30 November to 6 December 1956 (See Constitution Act 1902, Sec. 31A)
The Hon Ray Septimus Maher, B.A.21 April 195929 January 1965 – Resigned
Howard Thomas Fowles Acting Speaker during absence from State of the Hon Ray Septimus Maher, 29 May to 29 August 1962. (See Constitution Act 1902, Sec. 31A)
The Hon Sir Kevin Ellis, LL.B., B.Ec., (later the Hon Sir Kevin Ellis, K.B.E., LL.B., B.Ec.)26 May 19653 December 1973* - Parliament dissolved, 19 October 1973
The Hon Geoffrey Robertson Crawford, D.C.M. Acting Speaker during absence from State of the Hon Kevin Ellis, 27 July to 3 August 1965, also from 22 January to 25 January 1968. (See Constitution Act 1902, Sec. 31A)
The Hon Leon Ashton Punch
 Acting Speaker during absence from State of the Hon Kevin Ellis, 8 April to 10 April 1969, also from 12 May to 5 July 1972. (See Constitution Act 1902, Sec. 31A)
The Hon James Alexander Cameron, LL.M.4 December 197324 May 1976* - Parliament dissolved, 2 April 1976
James Hill Brown Acting Speaker during absence from State of the Hon James Alexander Cameron, 27 February to 24 April 1975. (See Constitution Act 1902, Sec. 31A)
The Hon Lawrence Borthwick Kelly25 May 197626 April 1988* - Parliament dissolved, 22 February 1988
The Hon Kevin Richard​​ Rozzoli27 April 19881 May 1995* - Parliament dissolved, 3 March 1995
The Hon John Henry Murray2 May 199528 April 2003* - Parliament expired, 28 February 2003
The Hon John Joseph Aquilina, B.A., Dip.Ed., Dip.Mu.(H.C.), F.A.C.E.29 April 2003​
7 May 2007
The Hon George Richard Torbay8 May 20072 May 2011
​The Hon Shelley Elizabeth Hancock B.A., DipEd.
​3 May 2011​2 April 2019
​The Hon. Jonathan Richard O'DEA, BA, LLM, MBA.
​7 May 2019​9 May 2023


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The Parliament of New South Wales acknowledges and respects the traditional lands of all Aboriginal people, and pays respects to all Elders past and present. We acknowledge the Gadigal people as the traditional custodians of the land on which the Parliament of New South Wales stands.