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Former Member Details

Mr William LITHGOW (1784 - 1864)

Member Photo
Date of Birth: 01/01/1784
Place of Birth: Scotland
Date of Death: 11/06/1864
Place of Death: St Leonards, New South Wales, Australia
Parliamentary Service
Position Start End Period Notes
Member of the NSW Legislative Council 17 Jul 1843 20 Jun 1848 4 years 11 months 4 days A Non-Elective Member of the first Legislative Council 1843 – 1856
Member of the NSW Legislative Council 30 Jan 1829 05 Jan 1843 13 years 11 months 7 days An Appointed Member of the first Legislative Council 1824 - 1843
Auditor General 08 Nov 1824 30 Apr 1852 27 years 5 months 23 days
Political Party Activity
Community Activity
Sat on innumerable boards and inquiries and audited the accounts of many institutions as well as those of government and commissariat.
Qualifications, occupations and interests
Auditor General and Commissary of Accounts in charge of the Accounts Branch of the Commissariat. Educated at Edinburgh University and passed as a licentiate of the Church of Scotland. In April 1823 he was ordered to form and direct a similar branch in New South Wales, arriving in May 1824. Was appointed as a magistrate and on occasions acted as a clerk of the Executive Council and as private secretary to the governor. Director of the old Bank of New South Wales. From the grant of 2000 acres and a Sydney building allotment in 1824 he had built up substantial estates. Became a shareholder in the Bank of New South Wales and Bank of Australia and a trustee of the Savings Bank of New South Wales and the Australian Society for Deposits and Loans. Member of the Southern Cattle Association and served on the provisional committees of the British Australian Steam Navigation Company and the Railway Association.
Military Service
In January 1808 he was appointed a clerk in the army commissariat and sent to Heligoland, which was a British possession from 1807 to 1890. In July 1812 he became deputy-assistant and was sent to take charge of the accounts branch of the commissariat in Mauritius.
Honours Received
Membership of other Parliaments & Offices Held
Local Government Activity
Personal
Parentage unknown. Left bequests in his will to friends, charities and institutions and founded the Lithgow scholarships in the University of Sydney.
Additional Information
Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 2 William Lithgow Papers, 1821 - 1832, New South Wales State Records (Accession No. A5933)

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.