- Frederick Illingworth
Frederick Illingworth (
24 September 1844 –8 September 1908 ),Australia npolitician , was aMember of Parliament in two Australian states, and a government minister in Western Australia. As a financier of land speculation in Victoria in the 1880s, he was heavily involved in theVictorian land boom .Early life
Frederick Illingworth was born in
Little Horton now part ofBradford ,West Yorkshire on24 September 1844 . The son of a woolcomber, he emigrated to Victoria, Australia with his family at the age of four. As a young man he worked as an ironmonger at Brighton,Melbourne , and he later acquired pastoral land at Yalook. On5 September 1867 he married Elizabeth Tarry, with whom he would have one son and one daughter. In the late 1870s he partnered with J. R. Hoskins to form anestate agent firm, but the business failed. In 1883 he returned to ironmongery, establishing anelectroplating business inMelbourne .Victorian land boom
In 1888, Illingworth founded and became the major share holder in the
Centennial Land Bank . This was aland bank formed to financespeculation onreal estate during theVictorian land boom , aneconomic bubble that had begun in the early 1880s. The boom peaked around 1888, then crashed. Nearly every land company went into liquidation, and Illingworth was left with large debts. Despite having been elected to theVictorian Legislative Council for the Northern Province in July 1889, Illingworth fled toWestern Australia in 1900, and the following year his seat was declared vacant for non-attendance.;Further reading
*cite book|author=Cannon, Michael|title=The Land Boomers|chapter=Chapter 24: Frederick Illingworth and the Centennial Bank|year=1966|location=Carlton, Victoria|publisher=Melbourne University PressIn Western Australia
In Western Australia Illingworth established himself as a land and estate agent, and invested in a number of mines in the Murchison district. On
5 July 1894 he was elected to theWestern Australian Legislative Council in the seat of Nannine. He held the seat until its abolishment for the election of May 1897, when he instead won the seat of Central Murchison. This in turn was abolished for the election of24 April 1901 , so Illingworth contested and won the seat of Cue. Defeated for Cue byEdward Heitmann in the election of27 June 1904 , he successfully contested the seat of West Perth on27 October 1905 , holding it until his resignation on13 August 1907 .Illingworth initially sat in parliament in opposition to
John Forrest 's government. From August 1900 until May 1901 he was Leader of the Opposition, and was accordingly called upon to form a government when Forrest's successorGeorge Throssell resigned as premier in May 1901. He was unable to do so, however, becauseGeorge Leake refused to serve under him, and the other oppositionists would not serve without Leake. Eventually, an agreement was reached whereby Leake became Premier and Illingworth became Colonial Treasurer and Colonial Secretary. he held these portfolios throughout the term of theFirst Leake Ministry , and was reappointed to the positions in theSecond Leake Ministry . Following Leake's death in June 1902, Illingworth was not included in the ministry of Leake's successorWalter James . He wasChairman of Committees from3 December 1903 to27 June 1904 , and again from30 November 1905 until his resignation.Illingworth had married Jane McGregor at
Adelaide ,South Australia on18 November 1896 . They would have no children. Illingworth's creditors released him from his financial obligations in 1903, and theGovernment of Western Australia then granted him £1000 as compensation for the financial proceedings taken against him in Victoria. After his resignation from the Legislative Assembly in August 1907, he must have returned to Victoria, for he died atBrighton, Victoria on8 September 1908 , and was buried inMelbourne Cemetery .References
*Black and Bolton 2001
*cite book|author=de Garis, Brian|chapter=Self-Government and Political Parties|year=1991|title=The House on the Hill: A History of the Parliament of Western Australia 1832–1990|editor=Black, David (ed.)|location=Perth, Western Australia|publisher=Parliament of Western Australia|id=0730939839
*Kimberly 1897Persondata
NAME=Illingworth, Frederick
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=politician
DATE OF BIRTH=24 September 1844
PLACE OF BIRTH=Little Horton ,Bradford ,Yorkshire
DATE OF DEATH=8 September 1908
PLACE OF DEATH=Brighton , Victoria
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