Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1931), Saturday 20 April 1929, page 15


BROTHERS IN PARLIAMENT.

MORE FATHERS AND SONS. By "ECRIVAIN."

In my notes in "The Advertiser" of April 10, I did not pretend-to have ex-hausted the names of fathers and sons who had served in the South Australian

Legislature. -The late Dr. Charles G. Everard, a pioneer of 1836, who sat in the Legisla tive Council after the granting of re-sponsible government from 1857 to 1869, and passed away in 1876, at an advanced age, was father of the late William Everard, sometime member of the Assembly for Encounter Bay, MLC from 1873 to 1878, and held office in three Ministries at different periods from 1868 to 1876. The late Thomas Magarey of En-field was member of the Assembly for "West Torrens in 1880-2, and a represen-tative of the Province in the Legislative Council from 1865 to 1867. His second son, the late Hon. Dr. Sylvanus J. Magarey, sat for the Central District in the Legislative Council from 1888 to 1897. The late William James Magarey, father-of Mr. W. A. Magarey the well-known Adelaide barrister, and nephew of Thomas Magarey, sat for West Torrens from 1878 to 1881. Sons-in-law. There was only one legislative Cham-ber in South Australia—partly elective and partly nominee—before responsible government in 1856. Of that early Legislative Council, a grand old pioneer builder of the State, the late Sir John Morphett, was first Speaker, pre-siding over its deliberations during its annual sessions from 1851 to 1854 in-clusive. On November 1, 1855 his father-in-law, Sir James Hurtle Fisher, was chosen Speaker, and Sir James presided over the sittings of the Legis-lative Council when the Constitution Act was debated and passed. Sir James was first President of the Legis-lative Council under the new Con-stitution from 1857 to 1865, when he was succeeded by Sir John Morphett, who was president of the Council for the next eight years. Another in stance of a son-in-law becoming Presi-dent of the Upper House after his father-in-law had held the office was that of Sir Lancelot Stirling. He mar-ried a daughter of Sir William Milne President of the Council (in succession to Sir John Morphett) from 1873 to 1881, and Sir Lancelot has been Pre-sident since 1901. I am indebted to Mr. J. C. Morphett, of Unley Park, eldest son of Sir John Morphett, and grandson of Sir James Hurtle Fisher, for clearing up some doubtful points for me. For close on half a century Mr. Morphett now in his 85th year was at Parliament House, and his memory goes vividly back over seven decades. The notes in this article re late chiefly to brothers who have sat in the South Australian Legislature. Families notable in the history of the province and State are recalled by some of the well-known names. Morphett. Sir John Morphett's brother, George, was member of the House of Assembly for West Torrens for little more than a year. He was returned to the second Parliament in March, 1860, and re-signed his seat in April, 1881 when he was succeeded by Randolph Isham Stow, a brilliant barrister, who took office as Attorney-General within three weeks of his entering Parliament. Stow In the next Parliament Stow sat for the electorate of Victoria, and at the general election of 1865 lost his seat through the-poet- Adam Lindsay-Gor-don and John Riddoch being returned for the district. Stow was Attorney-General, and his defeat at the polls | led to the resignation of the Blyth Ministry. The contest in which the poet was victorious is alluded to in Gordon's 'Hippodromania":— Like Stow, at our hustings, confronting the hisses Of roughs with his queer Mephisto-pheles smile. It was nearly two years afterwards that the ex-Attorney-General was re-elected to Parliament, this time for East Torrens. In February, 1875, Stow was raised to the Supreme Court Bench, which he adorned during his short ju-dicial career that closed with his death in September, 1878, in his fiftieth year. His brother, the late Augustine Stow, was returned to the Assembly for West Torrens at the general elections of 1862, for Flinders in 1866, and to the Legislative CouncU in 1869. Davenport. The late Robert Davenport, early pioneer, who settled at Battunga, near Macclesfield, was an elective member of the Legislative Council for the dis trict of Hindmarsh (which then in cluded much of the hills country) from 1851 to 1854. His more notable brother, Samuel (who was knighted in 1886 fcr his public services, chiefly as represen tative of the colony at international ex liibitions) was a non-official member in 3846-8 and 1855-6, Commissioner ot Public Works during the last live months of the first Ministry, and mem ber of the Legislative Council for nine years after responsible government. Sir Samuel died in 1906. Elder. The late Alexander Lang Elder, who came to South Australia in 1839, and founded the firm of Elder & Co. (now Elder, Smith & Co., limited), was an elective member of the old Legislative Council, sitting for West Adelaide £r.om July, 1851, to March, 1853. His emi nent brother. Sir Thomas . Elder, C.CU.C, ?Qe<l in 1897) one pi .the greatest South Australians, was a mem ber of the Upper House, representing the Province, in 1863-9 and 1871-8.. Dutton. The late Frederick Hansborough Dut-ton and Francis Stacker Dutton were brothers. Frederick, an. early South Australian squatter, and founder of Anlaby, was a non-official member of the Legislative. Council in 1852-3. Francis was associated with Captain C. H. Bagot in the first ownership of the Kapunda copper mine, and was a member for the City of Adelaide in the first House of Assembly from 1857 to 1860, and then for Light until 1865. He was twice Premier, resign ing his seat in Parliament in Septem ber, 1865, upon liis acceptance of the Agent-Generalship, a position he filled until his death in 1877. Blyth. Dutton's successor as Agent-General was Sir Arthur Blyth, who represen ted South. Australia in London until his death in 1891. He and his late brother Neville were members of the Assembly simultaneously for many years. Sir Arthur was three times Premier and held office in several Min istries other than his own. After resigning his seat for North Adelaide to take the Agent-Generalship, Neville, who entered the Assembly in 1860 and had been out of Parliament for some years, was elected for his brother's vacant seat. Neville Blyth was Trea surer in 1868 and Minister of Educa tion in 1877-8. Downer. Sir John Downer, member for Barossa from 1878 to 1901. twice Pre mier (1885-7 and 1892-3), ons of South Australia's first Senators in 1901-3, and MLC for the Central District from 1905 until bis death in 1915, was a member cf the Assembly when his brother, the late Henry E. Downer (father of Mr. Frank H. Downer, of Adelaide), represented Encounter Bay from 1881 to 1896. Duncan. The brothers the late John James Duncan (knighted In 1912) and Walter Hughes Duncan, nephews of Sir Wal ter Watson Hughes, public benefactor. sat in the House of Assembly at the same tune, the former in 1871-8 and 1884-90, and the latter from 1896 to 1902. Sir John Duncan, also for many years MLC. was father of Mr. John G. Duncan-Hughes, ex-Federal member for Boothby, and of the Hon. Walter G. Duncan, M.L.C. Glyde. The late William Dening Glyde, father of Mr. E. J. Glyde. of Tusmore Park, was a member of the Legislative ;Council from 1882 to 1887, and Wil liam's brother, the late Samuel Dening Glyde, was a, member for Start in the

House of Assembly in 1885-7, having Sir Josiah Symon, K.C., as his col league. Bean. The late George Thomas Bean sat in the Assembly for West Torrens in 1868-70. His brother, the late Wil liam Henry Bean, was member for the same constituency in 1870-1 and 1878-84 Riddoch The brothers, the late John and George Riddoch, well-known pastoral ists of the South-East, were members of the Assembly, both sitting for the district of Victoria. John was elected Iwith the poet Gordon in 1865. and sat until 1870, and again from 1871 to 1873. George was member for Victoria in 1893-6, and a Legislative Councillor for the Southern District from 1901 to ! 1910. Rounscvell. The late John Rounsevell entered the Assembly in 1865 for Light, for which district he sat three years, and also re presented Gumeracha in 1880-1. His brother, the late Hon. William Benja min RounseveH, was first returned for Burra, which he represented for 15 years, then Port Adelaide for three years, and again for Burra from 1890 to 1906. He was four times Treasurer. Scott. Abraham Scott, member of the Lesis lative Council from 1857 to 1857. who died in England in 1903, and Eenry Scott, who sat in the same House Irom 1878 to 1891, and passed away in 1913, were brothers. Vacghan. I The Hon. Crawford Vaugrian, Trea surer in the Verran Government in 1910-12, and Premier from April, 1915, to July. ISI7, and Mr. John Howard Vaughan, MI_.C. from 1912 to 1918. Attorney-General in the Vaughan Ministry, are brothers. yon Donssa. Mr. Louis yon Doussa, member of the Assembly lor Mount Barker in 1899-1902. member of the Legislative Council in 1903-5, and Aitoraey-General in the Jenkins Ministry (1903-4), and the late Alfred yon Doussa, for many years member of the Legislative Coun cil, were brothers.