Date of Birth: 03/08/1858
Place of Birth: Mudgee, New South Wales, Australia
Date of Death: 03/04/1922
Place of Death: London, England
Parliamentary Service
| Printing Committee No.7 |
08 Aug 1901 |
19 Dec 1901 |
4 months 12 days |
|
| Member for Barwon |
03 Jul 1901 |
16 Jul 1904 |
3 years 14 days |
|
| Member for Barwon |
27 Jul 1898 |
11 Jun 1901 |
2 years 10 months 16 days |
|
| Case of Thomas Buckley – Public Works Department Committee No.33 |
20 Oct 1896 |
16 Nov 1896 |
28 days |
|
| The Abattoirs Committee No.8 |
02 Jun 1896 |
12 Nov 1896 |
5 months 11 days |
|
| City Mutual Life Assurance Company’s (Limited) Enabling Bill Committee No.7 |
26 May 1896 |
16 Jun 1896 |
22 days |
|
| Member for Barwon |
24 Jul 1895 |
08 Jul 1898 |
2 years 11 months 15 days |
|
| Member for Barwon |
17 Jul 1894 |
05 Jul 1895 |
11 months 19 days |
|
| Scottish Australian Mining Company (Limited) Railway Bill Committee No.8 |
11 Oct 1892 |
23 Nov 1892 |
1 month 13 days |
|
| Mrs Cunynhame, late Superintendent of Macquarie-street Asylum for Infirm and Destitute, Parramatta Committee No.14 |
25 Aug 1891 |
17 Sep 1891 |
24 days |
|
| Member for Bourke |
03 Jul 1891 |
25 Jun 1894 |
2 years 11 months 23 days |
|
| Management of the Orange Hospital Committee No.38 |
21 Oct 1890 |
19 Dec 1890 |
1 month 29 days |
|
| Mr Manning, Chairman of Licensing Bench at Ryde Committee No.9 |
30 Apr 1890 |
14 Oct 1890 |
5 months 15 days |
|
| Mr Manning, Chairman of Licensing Bench at Ryde Committee No.7 |
03 Dec 1889 |
17 Dec 1889 |
15 days |
|
| Case of Miss Brenning Committee No.20 |
03 Jul 1889 |
23 Jul 1889 |
21 days |
|
| Member for Bourke |
13 Feb 1889 |
06 Jun 1891 |
2 years 3 months 25 days |
|
| Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly |
13 Feb 1889 |
16 Jul 1904 |
15 years 5 months 4 days |
|
Qualifications, occupations and interests
Pastoralist and perhaps newspaper proprieter. Educated in a denominational school at Mudgee, then briefly at St Mary's School at Sydney. Commenced work at 9 years of age; shop assistant at Dubbo; later was successful as a hawker along the banks of Macquarie, Darling and Bogan Rivers. Entered partnerships opening and managing stores at Girilambone, Nyngan, Mulga and Brewarrina. Partnership dissolved after 9 years. By 1889 was a homestead lessee near Brewarrina; proprieter of Bourke Central Australian. Moved to Sydney when elected to the Legislative Assembly. Became a land agent. Fled to South Africa after a land scandal. Journeyed to London and established a publishing company.
Membership of other Parliaments & Offices Held
Local Government Activity
Personal
Son of John Willis, blacksmith, and Margaret Willis. Married Mary Hayes on 25 January 1888 and had issue, 6 daughters and 1 son. Roman Catholic.
Additional Information
Australian Dictionary of Biography (ADB), Volume 12.
Cyril Pearl, 'Wild Men of Sydney: A Turbulent Era in Australian Social and
Political Life' (London, 1958)
