James Fletcher (Australian politician)

James Fletcher was an Australian coalminer and owner, newspaper proprietor and politician.

Fletcher was born in Dalkeith, East Lothian, Scotland and migrated to Australia in February 1851, first working in the goldfields and later in the Newcastle area as a coalminer. He married Isabella Birrell in 1854. In 1860 he was elected chairman of the new "Hunter River Miners' Association", which soon became involved in New South Wales's first serious industrial action, when the mineowners tried unsuccessfully to reduce payments to miners by twenty percent. The union then attempted to establish a mining cooperative, "New South Wales Co-operative Coal Co", under Fletcher's leadership, but it failed. He then managed a mine at Minmi, but returned to manage the cooperative—which had been revived—until 1880. He also managed the Wickham and Bullock Island Coal Co. and was part-owner of Ferndale Colliery. He was mayor of Wallsend in 1874 and 1875 and nearby Plattsburg in 1876. In 1876-89 he owned the Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate.Australian Dictionary of Biography
last=Gollan
first= Robin
coauthor=
authorlink=
year=1972
id=A040204b
title= Fletcher, James (1834 - 1891)
accessdate=2007-09-07]

Fletcher was elected as a Protectionist Party member for Newcastle in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1880 until his death. He became Secretary for Mines in February 1886 in Patrick Jennings government, but resigned in December. He was Secretary for Public Works from January to March 1886 in George Dibbs's second government.cite web
title =Mr James Fletcher (1834 - 1891)
work =Members of Parliament
publisher =Parliament of New South Wales
url =http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/members.nsf/1fb6ebed995667c2ca256ea100825164/f2b9c137adda1528ca256e2b0004345e!OpenDocument
accessdate = 2007-09-07]

Fletcher died from heart disease and apoplexy in Melbourne, survived by his wife and by six sons and three daughters.

Notes

Persondata
NAME= Fletcher, James
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Australian politician and newspaper proprietor
DATE OF BIRTH= August 1834
PLACE OF BIRTH= Dalkeith, East Lothian, Scotland
DATE OF DEATH= 19 March 1891
PLACE OF DEATH=Melbourne