William McWilliams

William McWilliams
1st Leader of the Country Party
In office 24 February 1920 – 5 April 1921
Deputy	Edmund Jowett
Succeeded by	Earle Page
Member of the Australian Parliament for Franklin
In office 17 November 1928 – 22 October 1929
Preceded by	Alfred Seabrook
Succeeded by	Charles Frost
In office 16 December 1903 – 16 December 1922
Preceded by	New seat
Succeeded by	Alfred Seabrook
Member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly for Ringarooma
In office 1893–1900
Preceded by	Samuel Hawkes
Succeeded by	Carmichael Lyne
Personal details
Born	(1856-10-12)12 October 1856 Bream Creek, Colony of Tasmania, British Empire
Died	22 October 1929(1929-10-22) (aged 73) Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Cause of death	Angina
Political party	Revenue Tariff (1903–06) Anti-Socialist (1906–09) Liberal (1909–17) Nationalist (1917–20; 1922–28) Country (1920–22) Independent (1928–29)
Spouse	Josephine Fullerton ​ (m. 1893)​
Occupation	Journalist

William James McWilliams (12 October 1856 – 22 October 1929) was an Australian politician who served as the inaugural leader of the Country Party, in office from 1920 to 1921. He was a member of the House of Representatives from 1903 to 1922 and from 1928 to his death, on both occasions representing the Division of Franklin in Tasmania. He represented five different political parties during his time in parliament, eventually seeing out his final term as an independent.

Early life

Born in Bream Creek, near Sorell, Tasmania, the son of Irish immigrants who ran the local school. Originally trained as a teacher, McWilliams became a journalist in 1877, rising to editor of the Launceston Telegraph in 1883. Marrying Josephine Fullerton in Melbourne on 19 October 1893, McWilliams's role as editor helped his stature in the local community enough to ensure his election to the Tasmanian House of Assembly for the electorate of Ringarooma in the 1893 election.

An Australian rules football fan, in 1897 McWilliams helped found the Southern Tasmania Football Association and remained a senior figure in football administration in Tasmania.

McWilliams bought the Hobart-based Tasmanian News in 1896 and moved to Hobart shortly after, unsuccessfully standing for the seat of Glenorchy in 1900.

Politics

Switching to federal politics, McWilliams won the Franklin at the 1903 election as a Revenue Tariffist supporting the Free Trade Party on most economic issues.

In parliament, McWilliams advocated strongly on behalf of farmers, investigated the possibility of introducing sugarbeet farming into Tasmania, and helped found the Tasmanian Meteorological Bureau. He also supported giving women and ex-convicts the vote but opposed the Federation, believing it should be delayed.

In parliament, McWilliams, like almost all his fellow members, strongly supported the White Australia Policy but opposed federal spending on issues such as the establishment of the High Court of Australia, a federal department of agriculture, a transcontinental railway, and federal acquisition of the Northern Territory. As in state parliament, McWilliams was a staunch advocate on rural matters, supporting the timber industry and primary producers.

Leader of the Country Party

McWilliams as an MP

After assisting in the formation of the Country Party in 1920, McWilliams was appointed as its first federal parliamentary leader. However McWilliams did not always see eye to eye with his party colleagues and at times voted against the wishes of the party. He was relieved of the leadership of the Country Party in April 1921 and lost his seat at the 1922 election.

Later years

McWilliams left the Country Party after losing the leadership and unsuccessfully contested Franklin at the 1925 election as a Nationalist.

Running as an independent, he regained Franklin in 1928 and was again successful in 1929, although there was little time for celebration following his second win because McWilliams died in Hobart from angina pectoris within hours of the declaration of the poll. He was survived by his wife, two daughters, and a son.