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Sir William Charles Windeyer

Sir William Charles WINDEYER, M.A (1834 - 1897)

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Date of Birth: 29/09/1834
Place of Birth: Westminster, London, England
Date of Death: 12/09/1897
Place of Death: Bologna, Italy
Parliamentary Service
Position Start End Period Notes
Member for University of Sydney 28 Dec 1878 10 Aug 1879 7 months 14 days
Attorney General 21 Dec 1878 10 Aug 1879 7 months 21 days
Redmond’s Estate Bill Committee No.11 08 Oct 1878 01 Nov 1878 25 days Chairman
Library Committee No.2 11 Sep 1878 24 Jul 1879 10 months 14 days
Mr John Garsed Committee No.10 05 Feb 1878 16 May 1878 3 months 12 days
The Bible Society’s Bill Committee No.8 31 Jan 1878 07 Feb 1878 8 days
Member for University of Sydney 05 Nov 1877 20 Dec 1878 1 year 1 month 16 days
Member for University of Sydney 28 Mar 1877 12 Oct 1877 6 months 15 days
Attorney General 22 Mar 1877 16 Aug 1877 4 months 26 days
Refreshment Room No.4 14 Dec 1876 11 Oct 1877 9 months 28 days
Member for University of Sydney 08 Sep 1876 22 Mar 1877 6 months 15 days
Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly 08 Sep 1876 10 Aug 1879 2 years 11 months 3 days
Loder’s Estate Bill Committee No.9 08 Dec 1871 01 Feb 1872 1 month 25 days
The Civil Service Committee No.6 21 Nov 1871 01 Feb 1872 2 months 12 days
Library Committee No.2 15 Nov 1871 01 Feb 1872 2 months 18 days
Standing Orders Committee No.3 15 Nov 1871 01 Feb 1872 2 months 18 days
Camperdown Cemetery Trust Bill Committee No.17 21 Feb 1871 02 Mar 1871 10 days Chairman
Member for West Sydney 30 Dec 1870 03 Feb 1872 1 year 1 month 5 days
Solicitor General 16 Dec 1870 13 May 1872 1 year 4 months 28 days
Government Printing Office Committee No.9 13 Sep 1870 04 May 1871 7 months 22 days
Library Committee No.2 12 Aug 1870 22 Jun 1871 10 months 11 days
Standing Orders Committee No.3 12 Aug 1870 22 Mar 1871 7 months 11 days
Elections and Qualifications Committee No.7 02 Feb 1870 09 Mar 1870 1 month 8 days
Library Committee No.2 02 Feb 1870 07 May 1870 3 months 6 days
Member for West Sydney 09 Dec 1869 20 Dec 1870 1 year 12 days
Elections and Qualifications Committee No.6 05 Oct 1869 13 Nov 1869 1 month 9 days
Library Committee No.2 29 Sep 1869 13 Nov 1869 1 month 16 days
Law relating to Lunacy Committee No.20 04 Mar 1869 24 Mar 1869 21 days
Sydney Boundaries Amendment Bill Committee No:15 12 Feb 1869 16 Mar 1869 1 month 5 days
Library Committee No.3 15 Dec 1868 03 Feb 1869 1 month 20 days
Elections and Qualifications Committee No.2 13 Oct 1868 01 Apr 1869 5 months 20 days
Library Committee No.2 03 Jul 1867 27 Apr 1868 9 months 25 days
Sydney Common Improvement Bill Committee No.23 06 Dec 1866 13 Dec 1866 8 days
Sydney Common Improvement Bill Committee No.23 06 Dec 1866 13 Dec 1866 8 days
Library Committee No.2 25 Jul 1866 18 Mar 1867 7 months 22 days
Member for West Sydney 17 Jan 1866 15 Nov 1869 3 years 9 months 30 days
Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly 17 Jan 1866 03 Feb 1872 6 years 18 days
Present State of the Colony Committee No.7 07 Nov 1865 28 Mar 1865 0 days
Library Committee No.2 25 Oct 1865 07 Apr 1866 5 months 14 days
Co-operative Coal Mining Company’s Bill Committee No.31 16 Sep 1862 24 Sep 1862 9 days
Gibson’s Estate Bill Committee No.27 02 Sep 1862 04 Sep 1862 3 days
Mr Charles Phillips Lawrence Committee No.19 05 Aug 1862 29 Oct 1862 2 months 25 days
Mr Andrew Lenehan Committee No.15 22 Jul 1862 03 Dec 1862 4 months 12 days
Management of the Central Police Office Committee No.13 08 Jul 1862 12 Dec 1862 5 months 5 days
Land Titles Declaration Bill Committee No.8 11 Jun 1862 20 Dec 1862 6 months 10 days
Elections and Qualifications Committee No.6 10 Jun 1862 02 Sep 1862 2 months 24 days
Address of Condolence to Her Majesty Committee No.4 28 May 1862 03 Jun 1862 7 days
Library Committee No.3 28 May 1862 01 Aug 1862 2 months 5 days
Standing Orders Committee No.2 28 May 1862 28 May 1862 1 day
Pyrmont Bridge Company’s Supplementary Bill Committee No.14 18 Oct 1861 20 Jan 1862 3 months 3 days
Mr A.E Bush Committee No.13 08 Oct 1861 20 Jan 1862 3 months 13 days
Maitland and Morpeth Railway Company’s Bill Committee No.12 03 Oct 1861 20 Jan 1862 3 months 18 days Chairman, appointed 9 October 1861
Library Committee No.3 04 Sep 1861 20 Jan 1862 4 months 17 days
Standing Orders Committee No.2 04 Sep 1861 20 Jan 1862 4 months 17 days
Privilege Committee No.29 04 Apr 1861 11 May 1861 1 month 8 days
Hosking’s Trust Bill Committee No.22 19 Feb 1861 11 May 1861 2 months 23 days Chairman
Mackenzie’s Marriage Settlement Trustees Bill Committee No.23 19 Feb 1861 11 May 1861 2 months 23 days Chairman
Mackenzie’s Marriage Settlement Trustees Bill Committee No.23 19 Feb 1861 11 May 1861 2 months 23 days
State and Management of the Sydney Domain Committee No.20 19 Feb 1861 11 May 1861 2 months 23 days
Unpaid Magistracy Committee No.17 12 Feb 1861 11 May 1861 3 months
Working of the Insolvent Law Committee No.16 12 Feb 1861 11 May 1861 3 months
Present System of Tendering for the Public Service Committee No.10 29 Jan 1861 11 May 1861 3 months 13 days Chairman
Seamen Committee No.14 29 Jan 1861 11 May 1861 3 months 13 days
Wilson’s Settlement Investment Bill Committee No.12 29 Jan 1861 11 May 1861 3 months 13 days
Public Prisons in Sydney and Cumberland Committee No.8 23 Jan 1861 11 May 1861 3 months 19 days
Library Committee No.3 15 Jan 1861 11 May 1861 3 months 27 days
Member for West Sydney 12 Dec 1860 22 Dec 1862 2 years 11 days
Public Prisons in Sydney and Cumberland Committee No.14 23 Oct 1860 09 Nov 1860 18 days
Colonial Bank of Australia Incorporation Bill Committee No.13 19 Oct 1860 09 Nov 1860 22 days
Present System of Tendering for the Public Service Committee No.11 16 Oct 1860 09 Nov 1860 25 days Chairman
Federation of the Australian Colonies Committee No.5 28 Sep 1860 09 Nov 1860 1 month 13 days
Federation of the Australian Colonies Committee No.38 03 Apr 1860 04 Jul 1860 3 months 2 days
Shoalhaven Municipality – (Petition of Alex Berry, Esquire) Committee No.5 17 Jan 1860 04 Jul 1860 5 months 18 days
Port of Newcastle Committee No.29 14 Dec 1859 04 Jul 1860 6 months 21 days
Condition of the Working Classes of the Metropolis Committee No.19 30 Sep 1859 04 Jul 1860 9 months 5 days
Alluvial Lands of the Hunter Committee No.10 16 Sep 1859 04 Jul 1860 9 months 19 days
Sydney Grammar School Committee No.6 13 Sep 1859 04 Jul 1860 9 months 22 days Chairman
University of Sydney Committee No.5 13 Sep 1859 04 Jul 1860 9 months 22 days
Member for Lower Hunter 29 Jun 1859 10 Nov 1860 1 year 4 months 13 days
Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly 29 Jun 1859 22 Dec 1862 3 years 5 months 24 days
Political Party Activity
Community Activity
Qualifications, occupations and interests
Lawyer (barrister). Father died insolvent in 1847. Educated at W.T Cape's Eldred House Private School and in 1850 until 1852 The King's School; attended the University of Sydney on a scholarship (BA 1856, MA 1859). Read Law in Chambers of E.Broadhurst; admitted to Bar in 1857; law reporter; Crown Prosecutor in 1859; practised at Bar puisne judge; Supreme Court from 1879 until 1896. Director of Hunter River Steam Navigation Company. Trustee of Sydney Grammar School from 1860's and of Free Public Library 1884 until 1886., 1888 until 1897. Member of Board of Technical Education from 1883 until 1886; taught Latin and Greek in 1860s at Sydney Mechanics School of the Arts. Esquire Bedell at University of Sydney from 1855 until 1865, member of Senate from 1866 until 1897, vice chancellor from 1883 until 1886, chancellor from 1895 until 1896; examiner in law. Championed womens rights. Sponsored as a private member in 1879 Married Women's Property Act; founding chairman of the Women's College at University of Sydney. Founding president of Discharged Prisoners' Aid Society. In 1870s was vice president of City Night refuge and Soup Kitchen. Commissioner of Philadelphia International Exhibition. President in 1873 of the Royal Commission in public charities. Active in volunteer defence movement. Captain in 1860, Major in 1868. Crack shot representing New South Wales against Victoria in 1862. Early political career was fostered by Sir Henry Parkes.
Military Service
Honours Received
Honorary Doctorate of Letters LLD at Cambridge in 1887. Knighted in 1891.
Membership of other Parliaments & Offices Held
Local Government Activity
Personal
Son of Richard Windeyer, barrister and journalist, and Maria Camfield. Married Mary Elizabeth Bolton on 31 December 1857 at Hexham and had issue, 5 daughters and 3 sons.
Additional Information
Personal papers in the Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales: 1. Windeyer family - papers, 1829 - 1943 (MLMSS 186); photographs in the PICMAN Database. 2. Windeyer family - papers, 1827 - 1928 (A1400, *D30, *D159) 3. William Charles Windeyer - Commission of appointment as a judge of the Supreme Court, 1881 (MLDOC 3163)

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