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Member Details

Mr Edward COMBES, C.M.G. (1830 - 1895)

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Date of Birth: 06/09/1830
Place of Birth: Fonthill Gifford, Wiltshire, England
Date of Death: 18/10/1895
Place of Death: Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia
Parliamentary Service
Position Start End Period Notes
Member of the NSW Legislative Council 19 May 1891 18 Oct 1895 4 years 5 months Life Appointment under the Constitution Act. Date of Writ of Summons 24 March 1891.
Elections and Qualifications Committee No.6 26 Nov 1884 27 Nov 1884 2 days
Library Committee No.3 19 Nov 1884 27 Nov 1884 9 days
Elections and Qualifications Committee No.10 16 Oct 1883 27 Feb 1884 4 months 12 days
Library Committee No.2 10 Oct 1883 01 Nov 1884 1 year 23 days
The Case of Captain Armstrong Committee No.11 16 Feb 1883 25 Apr 1883 2 months 10 days
Rotton’s Estate Bill Committee No.10 14 Feb 1883 21 Feb 1883 8 days Chairman
Library Committee No.2 18 Jan 1883 02 May 1883 3 months 15 days
Elections and Qualifications Committee No.6 17 Jan 1883 02 May 1883 3 months 16 days
Member for East Macquarie 04 Dec 1882 07 Oct 1885 2 years 10 months 4 days
Rotton’s Estate Bill Committee No.13 24 Oct 1882 02 Nov 1882 10 days
Library Committee No.2 30 Aug 1882 21 Nov 1882 2 months 23 days
Tamworth Gas and Coke Company’s Bill Committee No.12 10 Aug 1881 09 Dec 1881 4 months
Elections and Qualifications Committee No.9 07 Jul 1881 20 Dec 1881 5 months 14 days
Library Committee No.3 06 Jul 1881 20 Dec 1881 5 months 15 days
Australian Steam Navigation Act Amendment Bill Committee No.14 10 Mar 1881 17 Mar 1881 8 days
Elections and Qualifications Committee No.7 17 Dec 1880 15 Mar 1881 2 months 27 days
Library Committee No.2 17 Dec 1880 06 Apr 1881 3 months 21 days
The Governor’s Opening Speech Committee No.1 16 Dec 1880 16 Dec 1880 1 day
Member for East Macquarie 23 Nov 1880 23 Nov 1882 2 years 1 day
Sites for New Hospitals Committee No.15 10 Feb 1880 13 Jul 1880 5 months 4 days
Member for Bridge over the Parramatta River Committee No.17 10 Feb 1880 13 Jul 1880 5 months 4 days
Sydney City and Suburban Tramway and Omnibus Company’s Bill Committee No.14 16 Dec 1879 26 Feb 1880 2 months 11 days
Railway through the City of Sydney Committee No.5 30 Oct 1879 13 Jul 1880 8 months 14 days
The Governor’s Opening Speech Committee No.1 28 Oct 1879 28 Oct 1879 1 day
Member for East Macquarie 15 Aug 1879 09 Nov 1880 1 year 2 months 26 days
Library Committee No.4 30 Jan 1878 21 May 1878 3 months 22 days
Standing Orders Committee No.5 30 Jan 1878 21 May 1878 3 months 22 days
Sydney Tramway and Omnibus Company (Limited) Bill Committee No.3 23 Jan 1878 20 Mar 1878 1 month 26 days
Member for Orange 24 Oct 1877 11 Feb 1879 1 year 3 months 19 days
Member for Orange 30 Aug 1877 12 Oct 1877 1 month 13 days
Secretary of Public Works 17 Aug 1877 17 Dec 1877 4 months 1 day
Member for Orange 19 Feb 1877 17 Aug 1877 5 months 30 days
Goulburn Cattle Sale Yards Bill Committee No.10 24 Nov 1874 26 Nov 1874 3 days
Letter addressed to M.M Rochefort and Grousset Committee No.5 05 Nov 1874 26 Nov 1874 22 days
Sydney Mechanics School of Arts Incorporation Bill Committee No.29 19 Mar 1874 27 Mar 1874 9 days
Anvil Creek Coal Mining Company’s Incorporation Bill Committee No.28 11 Mar 1874 17 Mar 1874 7 days
The Sydney Museum Committee No.27 24 Feb 1874 18 May 1874 2 months 25 days
Parnell’s Leasing Bill Committee No.25 22 Jan 1874 29 Jan 1874 8 days
Greta Coal and Shale Mining Company’s Bill Committee No.21 14 Jan 1874 22 Jan 1874 9 days
Bishopthorpe Estate Bill Committee No.20 02 Dec 1873 17 Dec 1873 16 days
Australian Joint Stock Bank Act Continuation Bill Committee No.19 25 Nov 1873 05 Dec 1873 11 days
Sydney and Suburban Streets Tramways Bill Committee No.18 21 Nov 1873 10 Dec 1873 20 days
Lee’s Partition and Sale Bill Committee No:16 18 Nov 1873 25 Nov 1873 8 days
Cohen’s Estate Act Amendment Bill Committee No.14 04 Nov 1873 07 Nov 1873 4 days
Australian Mutual Provident Societies Bill Committee No.13 30 Oct 1873 12 Nov 1873 14 days
Scott’s Leasing Bill Committee No.11 09 Oct 1873 21 Oct 1873 13 days
Petition of James Twaddell Committee No.28 04 Mar 1873 17 Mar 1873 14 days
Bathurst Cattle Sale Yards Bill Committee No.24 07 Feb 1873 14 Mar 1873 1 month 8 days
New South Wales Shale and Oil Company’s Bill Committee No.13 26 Nov 1872 04 Dec 1872 9 days
Petition of John Dargin Committee No.14 26 Nov 1872 31 Jan 1873 2 months 6 days
Permissive Liquor Bill Committee No.12 22 Nov 1872 12 Feb 1873 2 months 22 days
Patents Committee No.10 19 Nov 1872 14 Mar 1873 3 months 24 days
Customs Seizure of Goods ex ‘Ascalon’ Committee No.15 16 Jul 1872 09 Aug 1872 25 days
Bathurst Gas Bill Committee No.7 14 Jun 1872 21 Jun 1872 8 days
Member for Bathurst 23 Feb 1872 28 Nov 1874 2 years 9 months 6 days
Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly 23 Feb 1872 07 Oct 1885 13 years 7 months 15 days
Political Party Activity
Community Activity
Chairman of the Court of Appeal under the Goldfields Act, 1865. Royal Commissioner, inquiring into Goldfields Act 1870. Member of the Legion of Honour. Member, Society of Civil Engineers of France and Associate, Institution of Civil Engineers, England. Executive Commissioner, Paris International Exhibition, 1878. Melbourne International Exhibition 1880. Director of the art section of the Garden Palace Exhibition in 1879. Committee of the New South Wales Academy of Art. President, Art Society of New South Wales, 1883. Assisted to found the Art Gallery of New South Wales and was a Director for 20 years. Member, Royal Institute of Water-Colour painters. President, Board of Technical Education, 1883 - 1889 and visited Europe in 1885 to report on technical education.
Qualifications, occupations and interests
Engineer. Educated at the Ecole des Mines and Conservatoire des Arts et Metiers, Paris. Was an engineer and pastoralist when he was elected to the Legislative Assembly. He studied civil and mechanical engineering. When he migrated to Victoria, in 1851, he prospected for gold and worked as an engineer at Ballarat, Bendigo. In 1854, he returned to Paris and trained in scientific engineering for two years and also studied drawing. He returned to Victoria in 1857. In 1858, he moved to New South Wales and joined the Public Service. In 1862, he was a mining engineer and surveyor at Forbes. He later worked at Lucknow and Glanmire, where he bought land and built Glanmire Hall.
Military Service
Honours Received
Awarded a Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG)
Membership of other Parliaments & Offices Held
Local Government Activity
Personal
Son of William a farmer and surveyor and Ann. Married Harriette Hare, in 1856 at Harpford, Devon, England and had issue, 3 sons and 3 daughters. Church of England.
Additional Information
References: Australian Dictionary of Biography, volume three; Members of the Legislative Assembly of New South Wales 1856-1901.

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.