Skip Ribbon Commands
Skip to main content
MENU
Skip Navigation LinksHome Members Former Members

Former Member Details

Mr William Morris HUGHES (1862 - 1952)

Member Photo
Date of Birth: 25/09/1862
Place of Birth: Pimlico, London, England
Date of Death: 27/11/1952
Place of Death: Lindfield, New South Wales, Australia
Parliamentary Service
Position Start End Period Notes
Church of England Property Trust, Diocese of Goulburn Committee No.24 05 Oct 1900 05 Dec 1900 2 months 1 day
Case of Quartermaster Sergeant Troy Committee No.21 06 Sep 1900 29 Nov 1900 2 months 24 days
Claim by Messrs Maddison and Ewing Contractors Committee No.15 02 Aug 1900 27 Sep 1900 1 month 26 days
Action of Mr.Chisholm, Police Magistrate at Wollongong, in the case of Morgan v. Clift Committee No. 22 21 Nov 1899 30 Nov 1899 10 days
Claim of Mr Theophilus Stephens- Crown Law Department Committee No. 20 21 Nov 1899 30 Nov 1899 10 days
Terrace Street Closing Bill Committee No.8 09 Aug 1899 15 Aug 1899 7 days
Estate of the late S.M Swift of Petersham Committee No.3 01 Aug 1899 21 Dec 1899 4 months 21 days
Estate of the late S.M Swift of Petersham Committee No.23 13 Dec 1898 22 Dec 1898 10 days Chairman
Borough of Lithgow Validating Bill Committee No.21 01 Dec 1898 08 Dec 1898 8 days
Member for Sydney-Lang 27 Jul 1898 11 Jun 1901 2 years 10 months 16 days
Elections and Qualifications Committee No. 6 22 Jun 1898 08 Jul 1898 17 days
Claim of Mr Theophilus Stephens – Crown Law Department Committee No.34 20 Oct 1896 11 Nov 1896 23 days
Pitt Town Settlement Committee No.30 06 Oct 1896 12 Nov 1896 1 month 7 days Chairman
Case of Mr A.J.C Single Committee No.9 19 Sep 1895 10 Oct 1895 22 days
Member for Sydney-Lang 24 Jul 1895 08 Jul 1898 2 years 11 months 15 days
Member for Sydney-Lang 17 Jul 1894 03 Jul 1895 11 months 17 days
Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly 17 Jul 1894 11 Jun 1901 6 years 10 months 26 days
Political Party Activity
Australian Labor Party (ALP); federal leader 1915 - 1916; left over conscription 1916; Nationalist; United Australia Party; Liberal Party
Community Activity
Qualifications, occupations and interests
Labourer and shopkeeper. Educated at Llandudo, Wales and St Stephens Church of England school, Westminster where he was a pupil/teacher and teacher. Arrived in Queensland in 1884; bushworker; drover, seaman etc. Journeyed to Sydney c.1886. Became a kitchen man, oven-maker, and odd job man; Became a shopkeeper at Balmain. While in Parliament read for the Bar and was admitted in 1903. As a young man was a Member of Sydney School of the Arts Debating Society.; member of single tax league 1890 - 1892, Socialist League 1892 - 1898, Political organiser, Young Trades Council 1893; Waterside Workers Federation 1902 - 1916. Completed 50 years of continuous parliamentary service in 1944.
Military Service
Honours Received
Kings Counsel in 1909
Membership of other Parliaments & Offices Held
Member of the Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia. Member of the House of Representatives for West Sydney 1901 - 1917; for Bendigo 1917 - 1922; for North Sydney 1922 - 1949; and for Bradfield 1949 - 1952. Prime Minister of Australia 1915 - 1923.
Local Government Activity
Personal
Son of William Hughes, carpenter and joiner, and Jane Morris. Married (1) Elizabeth Cutts in 1886 and had issue, 3 daughters and 3 sons. Married (2) Mary Ethel Campbell and had issue, 1 daughter. Church of England.
Additional Information
Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 9 L. F. Fitzhardinge, 'William Morris Hughes: a political biography. I, That Fiery Particle 1862 - 1914', 1964 W. J. Hudson, 'Billy Hughes in Paris: the birth of Australian diplomacy', 1978 Donald Horne, 'In Search of Billy Hughes', 1979 Malcolm Booker, 'The great professional: a study of W. M. Hughes', 1980 Donald Horne, 'Billy Hughes', 2000 National Archives of Australia, 'Australia's Prime Ministers' Website http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/ National Archives of Australia Fact Sheet 73: William Morris Hughes Prime Minister of Australia 1915-23' http://www.naa.gov.au/fsheets/FS73.html Personal papers in the Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales: William Morris Hughes - telegram, 1916 (MLDOC 1014)

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.