William Gillies (Australian politician)
Cornelius Ryan | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 27 October 1868 Eccleston, New South Wales |
| Died | 9 February 1928 (aged 59) Toowong, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Resting place | Toowong Cemetery |
| Political party | Labor |
| Spouse |
Margaret Smith (m. 1900) |
| Relations | Robert Gillies (brother) |
| Profession | Farmer |
William Neal Gillies (27 October 1868 – 9 February 1928)[1] was an Australian Labor politician in Queensland who served as premier of Queensland from February to October 1925.[2]
Early life
Gillies was born in Eccleston, New South Wales (in the Allyn River district), the son of Dougald Gillies, farmer, and his wife Mary (née Gillies), both parents being Scottish immigrants. Gillies was educated at local schools and in 1882 went with his parents to the Village of Tintenbar in the Richmond River country. There he took up farming including sugar-cane growing, and began to be interested in public affairs.[1]
In 1900, Gillies married Margaret Smith.[1]
Political career
He was an active member of the anti-alien league, and afterwards became president of the New South Wales sugar growers defence league. In the
Late in 1910[1] Gillies took up land in Queensland and in 1912 won the Eacham seat for Labour[2] in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland despite a charge of falsely stating his period of residence on an electoral claim.[1] He held this seat until his retirement from politics.[2]
Gillies was assistant-minister for justice in the
On the resignation of Theodore, Gillies became premier on 26 February 1925, taking the positions of chief secretary and treasurer,[2] and vice-president of the executive council. He was premier during a period of great labour unrest with constantly occurring strikes. Gillies was a man of moderate views and he found the more extreme section of the party very active, and he was beset with anxieties. He compromised as much as possible, but on 27 October 1925 was glad to resign and become a member of the newly established board of trade and arbitration.[1] He gave much study to the problems to be dealt with and carried out his work with conspicuous fairness. He, however, felt the strain very much and died suddenly on 9 February 1928.[1]
Legacy
Gillies was accorded a state funeral[3] which took place from St Andrew's Presbyterian Church to his burial place at Toowong Cemetery.[4][5]
The Gillies Highway in Far North Queensland was named after William Neil Gillies as he founded the Main Roads Board, which subsequently became the Department of Main Roads (now part of the Department of Transport and Main Roads).
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Gillies, William Neil (1868–1928) — Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
- ^ a b c d e "Gillies, William Neal". Parliament of Queensland. 2015. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
- The Brisbane Courier. National Library of Australia. 10 February 1928. p. 17. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
- The Brisbane Courier. National Library of Australia. 10 February 1928. p. 14. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
- ^ Gillies William Neal — Brisbane City Council Grave Location Search. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
External links
