Samuel Hamersley

Samuel Richard Hamersley (12 October 1842–1 October 1896) was a Western Australian pastoralist, and a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council for six years.

Samuel Hamersley was born in Guildford, Western Australia on 12 October 1842. The following year, he went with his family to France. The family returned to Western Australia in 1850, building a home at Guildford. In his youth, Hamersley farmed at Toodyay, York and Swan Districts under a system of tenant farming. In 1863 he was a member of an exploring expedition to the Glenelg River. In 1865, he married Matilda Brown, daughter of Thomas Brown and sister to Maitland and Kenneth. From about 1865 until 1868, Hamersley managed the family's "Richmond" property at Williams; he then spend some time at "Wungong" in the Canning district, before returning to Guildford in 1870. In 1873 he was running a butchering business, and in 1875 he inherited his father's "Haseley" property in Toodyay.

Western Australia having obtained representative government in 1870, Hamersley stood for election in 1874, and on 2 October was elected to the Legislative Council seat of Murray and Williams. He held the seat until 12 February 1880, when we was succeeded by Septimus Burt. In February 1889, he contested the seat of Toodyay but was defeated by the incumbent George Shenton. The following October he won the Legislative Assembly seat of Swan in a by-election, but was only required to hold it for five months.

Samuel Hamersley died at Guildford on 1 October 1896. He had three sons and three daughters; one of his sons was Vernon Hamersley, who became the longest serving Member of the Legislative Council ever. The Hamersleys were a well connected family, and Samuel Hamersley was related by blood or marriage to a number of prominent Western Australian farmers and politicians. His father Edward was one of the leading Western Australian landholders of his day; his brother Edward also became a Member of the Legislative Council; William Locke Brockman was his uncle; his sister Margaret married Sir John Forrest; and his wife Matilda was sister to Maitland Brown.

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Persondata
NAME=Hamersley, Samuel Richard
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=politician
DATE OF BIRTH=12 October 1842
PLACE OF BIRTH=Guildford, Western Australia
DATE OF DEATH=1 October 1896
PLACE OF DEATH=Guildford, Western Australia