Lancelot Stirling

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OBE
President of the South Australian Legislative Council
In office
18 July 1901 – 24 May 1932
Preceded byRichard Chaffey Baker
Succeeded byDavid Gordon
Member of the South Australian Legislative Council
In office
11 July 1891 – 24 May 1932
Preceded byWilliam West-Erskine
Succeeded byReuben Cranstoun Mowbray
ConstituencySouthern District
Member of the South Australian House of Assembly
In office
12 May 1888 – 22 April 1890
Preceded byRobert Dalrymple Ross
Succeeded byTheodore Hack
ConstituencyGumeracha
In office
5 April 1881 – 5 April 1887
Preceded byFrancis William Stokes
Succeeded byJohn Cockburn
ConstituencyMount Barker
Personal details
Born(1849-11-05)5 November 1849
Strathalbyn, South Australia, Australia
Died24 May 1932(1932-05-24) (aged 82)
Strathalbyn, South Australia, Australia
Political partyLiberal Union (to 1923)
Liberal Federation (from 1923)
Spouse
Florence Milne
​
(m. 1882)​
Parent
RelativesEdward Charles Stirling (brother)
William Milne (father-in-law)
Alma materTrinity College, Cambridge
OccupationLawyer, politician

Sir John Lancelot Stirling,

Solomon Ministry
of 1899.

Early life

Stirling was born at Strathalbyn, South Australia, the son of Edward Stirling (1804–1873) and his wife Harriett, née Taylor and brother of Sir Edward Charles Stirling.[2] His father was the illegitimate child of a Scottish planter in Jamaica and an unknown woman of colour.[3]

Stirling was educated at St Peter's College, Adelaide and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he graduated B.A. and LL.B[4] Stirling was a good athlete and, representing

120 yards hurdles
. Stirling also won the amateur championship of England in this event in 1870 and again in 1872, his time in the latter year being 16.8 seconds, considered a good performance at that time.

Career

Stirling read for the bar and was admitted at the

South Australian Legislative Assembly in 1881 for Mount Barker, which he held until April 1887, and afterwards represented Gumeracha until 1890, when he became a member of the then-conservative South Australian Legislative Council, representing the Southern District. In December 1899 Stirling was chief secretary in the conservative Solomon government but this ministry was defeated as soon as the house met. In 1901 Stirling was elected President of the South Australian Legislative Council, and would serve in the position for a record 31 years.[2][5]

Stirling was made a

knight bachelor on 14 August 1902,[6] after the honour had been announced in the 1902 Coronation Honours list published on 26 June 1902.[7] He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in 1909 and Officer of the Order of the British Empire
(OBE) in 1918.

He continued his interest in sport all his life, pioneering

Caledonian Society of South Australia
, and its Chief 1885–1886.

Stirling also possessed a good business sense and was a director of well-known companies. In politics he was respected as a man of individuality but not regarded as a first-rate speaker. Stirling found his ideal position as president of the council, admirably carrying out his duties; as the years passed becoming a kind of elder brother to the newer members.[8]

Family

On 2 December 1882, Stirling married Florence Marion, daughter of Sir

R. B. Colley, first mayor of Glenelg
.

References

  1. The Register
    . 25 November 1915. p. 4. Retrieved 30 June 2012 – via Trove.
  2. ^
    ISSN 1833-7538
    . Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  3. doi:10.22459/AJBH.06.2022
    .
  4. ^ "Stirling, John Lancelot (STRN866JL)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
  5. ^ "Sir John (Sir Lancelot) Lancelot Stirling KCMG OBE". Former members of the Parliament of South Australia. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  6. ^ "No. 27465". The London Gazette. 15 August 1902. p. 5327.
  7. ^ "The Coronation Honours". The Times. No. 36804. London. 26 June 1902. p. 5.
  8. ^ a b Serle, Percival (1949). "Stirling, John". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Sydney: Angus & Robertson. Retrieved 26 March 2010.
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