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Member Details

Mr John DOUGLAS (1828 - 1904)

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Date of Birth: 06/03/1828
Place of Birth: London, England
Date of Death: 23/07/1904
Place of Death: Thursday Island, Queensland, Australia
Parliamentary Service
Position Start End Period Notes
Seamen Committee No.14 29 Jan 1861 11 May 1861 3 months 13 days
Departure of the Governor General Committee No.4 15 Jan 1861 11 May 1861 3 months 27 days
Governor General’s Opening Speech Committee No.1 11 Jan 1861 11 Jan 1861 1 day
Member for Camden 21 Dec 1860 17 Jul 1861 6 months 27 days
Wesley College Bill Committee No.21 12 Oct 1859 04 Jul 1860 8 months 23 days
Petition of Mr William Sutherland Committee No.20 07 Oct 1859 04 Jul 1860 8 months 28 days
Case of Charles Wentworth Bucknell Committee No.17 23 Sep 1859 04 Jul 1860 9 months 12 days
Case of James Hibburd Committee No.16 23 Sep 1859 04 Jul 1860 9 months 12 days
Dismissal of Mr .F Gorton Committee No.9 14 Sep 1859 04 Jul 1860 9 months 21 days
Governor General’s Opening Speech Committee No.1 31 Aug 1859 31 Aug 1859 1 day
Member for Darling Downs 05 Jul 1859 10 Dec 1859 5 months 6 days
Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly 05 Jul 1859 17 Jul 1861 2 years 13 days
Political Party Activity
Community Activity
Member of the Johnsonian Club. President 1880. Warden of All Saints Church of England, Brisbane. Member of the Diocesan Church Society. Freemason.
Qualifications, occupations and interests
Squatter and journalist. Educated at Edinburgh Academy, Rugby 1843 - 1847, University of Durham (B.A 1850). Arrived in New South Wales with brother Edward and £2,000 in August 1851. Became a Sub-Commissioner of the goldfields near Araluen in 1852. Commanded police at Tuera goldfields in November 1852 until June 1853. Went to the Darling Downs with Thomas Hood in 1854 taking up Talgai squatting run (64,000 acres). Assisted to establish the Darling Downs Gazette in 1858. took up 6 pastoral runs in Port Curtis District in 1860. Moved to Brisbane in 1863, entering the Queensland Parliament. Queensland Agent - General in London 1869 - 1870. Became insolvent in 1872. Premier of Queensland from March 1877 to January 1879. Special Commissioner for the Protectorate of British New Guinea 1885 - 1888. Leader writer and journalist on the Brisbane Courier and other papers. Government resident and police magistrate on Thursday Island 1885 - 1904.
Military Service
Honours Received
Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in 1877.
Membership of other Parliaments & Offices Held
Member of the Parliament of Queensland. Member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland for Port Curtis 1863 - 1866; Eastern Downs 1867 - 1868; East Moreton 1868; and Maryborough 1875 - 1880. Member of the Legislative Council 1866; and 1868 - 1869. Minister without Office February 1866; Postmaster-General March 1866 and December - 1868 - November 1869; Treasurer December 1866 - May 1867; Secretary for Public Works May - August 1867; Premier March 1877 - January 1879; and Colonial Secretary November 1877 - January 1879.
Local Government Activity
Personal
Son of Henry Alexander Douglas and Lady Elizabeth Dalzell, daughter of the Earl of Carnwarth. His father was a first cousin of the 8th Marquess of Queensberry (father of Lord Alfred Douglas, made famous by his connection with Oscar Wilde). Married (1) Mary Howe Simpson in 1861 and had no issue. Married (2) Sarah Hickey in 1877 and they had 4 sons. Church of England. Parents died in 1837 and he was raised by his aunts.
Additional Information
Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 4

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.