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Mr (Bernhard) Bernhard Ringrose Wise

Mr Bernhard Ringrose WISE, K.C.,B.A (1858 - 1916)

Member Photo
Date of Birth: 10/02/1858
Place of Birth: Petersham, New South Wales, Australia
Date of Death: 19/09/1916
Place of Death: London, England
Parliamentary Service
Position Start End Period Notes
Acting Premier 04 Apr 1904 27 May 1904 1 month 24 days
Acting Premier 27 Feb 1904 25 Mar 1904 28 days
Minister of Justice 22 Jul 1901 14 Jun 1904 2 years 10 months 24 days
Member of the NSW Legislative Council 30 Oct 1900 10 Mar 1908 7 years 4 months 10 days Life Appointment under the Constitution Act. Date of Writ of Summons 30 October 1900. Granted retention of title of 'Honourable' for life.
Church of England Property Trust, Diocese of Goulburn Committee No.24 05 Oct 1900 05 Dec 1900 2 months 1 day
Member for Ashfield 26 Sep 1899 30 Oct 1900 1 year 1 month 5 days
Attorney General 14 Sep 1899 14 Jun 1904 4 years 9 months 1 day
Illawarra Harbour and Land Corporation Act Further Amendment Bill Committee No.22 02 Dec 1898 06 Dec 1898 5 days
Member for Ashfield 27 Jul 1898 14 Sep 1899 1 year 1 month 19 days
Elections and Qualifications No. 5 07 Aug 1894 05 Jul 1895 10 months 29 days
Member for Sydney-Flinders 17 Jul 1894 05 Jul 1895 11 months 19 days
Operation of the Shipping Laws Committee No.6 23 Jan 1894 05 Jun 1894 4 months 14 days
Library Committee No.3 28 Jul 1891 01 Apr 1892 8 months 5 days
Elections and Qualifications Committee No.5 16 Jul 1891 18 Aug 1892 1 year 1 month 3 days
Member for South Sydney 17 Jun 1891 25 Jun 1894 3 years 9 days
Library Committee No.3 24 Oct 1888 27 Jan 1889 3 months 4 days
Land resumed by the Government for Railway purposes at Bexley Committee No.34 16 Dec 1887 24 Jul 1888 7 months 9 days
Pharmaceutical Society of New South Wales Incorporation Bill Committee No.8 28 Sep 1887 18 Oct 1887 21 days
Library Committee No.3 21 Sep 1887 24 Jul 1888 10 months 4 days
Member for South Sydney 04 Jun 1887 19 Jan 1889 1 year 7 months 16 days
Attorney General 27 May 1887 07 Feb 1888 8 months 12 days
Library Committee No.4 15 Mar 1887 13 Jul 1887 3 months 29 days
Member for South Sydney 05 Feb 1887 31 May 1887 3 months 27 days
Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly 05 Feb 1887 30 Oct 1900 13 years 8 months 26 days
Political Party Activity
Freetrade.
Community Activity
Qualifications, occupations and interests
Lawyer (barrister). Educated at Rugby School, London and Queens College in Oxford (BA 1881). Called to Bar at Middle Temple in 1883. Returned to New South Wales and was called to the Bar in 1883; practised, examiner in law and classics at the University of Sydney; Queens Counsel in 1898. After losing office teavelled overseas and returned to England. Seat in the Legislative Council was declared vacant through absence in 1908. Agent General for New South Wales from 1915 until 1916. As a young man in England was president of the Oxford Union in 1881 and President of the Athletic Club. Amateur mile champion of Great Britain. First president of the Amateur Athletic Association. In New South Wales helped to found the Prisoners Aid Association, was president from 1905 until 1906; trustee of National Art Gallery of New South Wales from 1889 until 1908; delegate to federal Convention from 1897 until 1898; member of editorial committee; chairman on Royal Commission on Broken Hill Mining Industry of 1914. Member of Australia Club. Author of many articles and pamphlets.
Military Service
Honours Received
Membership of other Parliaments & Offices Held
Local Government Activity
Personal
Son of Edward Wise and Maria Smith. Married Lillian Margaret Baird in 1884 and had issue, 1 son.
Additional Information
J. A. Ryan, "Bernhard Ringrose Wise", Journal of the Royal Historical Society, Volume 81, Part 1, June 1995, pp. 71 - 84 Personal papers in the Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales: 1. Bernard Ringrose Wise - papers, 1879 - 1915 (MLMSS 6107); photographs in the PICMAN Database. 2. B.R Wise - papers, 1889 - 1900 (MLMSS 394 (cat). 3. Bernhard Ringrose Wise - papers 1889 - 1904, 1914 (A2646). 4. Bernhard Ringrose Wise - papers, 1874 - 1892 (MLMSS 1327). 5. Bernhard Ringrose Wise - scrapbook, 1885 - 1909 (MLMSS 2852)

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