William Brookes (Queensland politician)

William Brookes
Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for East Moreton
In office 22 April 1864 – 3 August 1864 Serving with George Edmondstone
Preceded by	Thomas Warry
Succeeded by	Robert Cribb
Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Town of Brisbane
In office 22 April 1864 – 3 August 1864 Serving with Charles Blakeney, George Raff, Theophilus Pugh
Preceded by	George Raff
Succeeded by	Himself
In office 13 August 1864 – 2 June 1867 Serving with Charles Blakeney, George Raff, Theophilus Pugh
Preceded by	Himself
Succeeded by	Kevin O'Doherty
Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for North Brisbane
In office 13 January 1882 – 5 May 1888 Serving with Samuel Griffith
Preceded by	Arthur Palmer
Succeeded by	Seat abolished
Member of the Queensland Legislative Council
In office 27 June 1891 – 11 June 1897
Personal details
Born	William Brookes 14 October 1825 Hanging Ditch, Manchester, England
Died	16 July 1898 (aged 72) Eagle Junction, Queensland, Australia
Resting place	South Brisbane Cemetery
Nationality	English Australian
Spouse(s)	Mary Ann Evans (m.1849 d.1890)
Occupation	Ironmonger
Religion	Church of England

William Brookes (14 October 1825 -16 July 1898) was a member of both the Queensland Legislative Council and the Queensland Legislative Assembly.^[1]

Early life

Brookes was born in Hanging Ditch, Manchester, to William Brookes and his wife, Mary (née Oakden) and was educated at Hall State School, Manchester, and was also privately schooled. He began his working career as an apprentice draper before arriving in Sydney in 1848 on the SS 'Bengal'. After trying his hand unsuccessfully as a gold miner at Turon, he returned to Sydney and joined the Union Bank of Australia as a clerk.^[2]

In 1853, Brookes was sent to Queensland to work with J.S. Turner in opening a branch of the Union Bank and five years later, in partnership with his brother Benjamin, purchased an Ironmonger's business in Brisbane.^[1]

Political career

Brookes entered politics in 1858, serving as an alderman in the Brisbane Municipal Council till 1866.^[1] He was elected to the Queensland Legislative Assembly as the member for East Moreton in September 1863 but nine days later his election was declared null and void^[1] and in the resulting by-election he lost to Robert Cribb.^[3]

In 1864, Brookes stood for the seat of Town of Brisbane which he duly won however, once again his election was declared null and void.^[1] This time though, he won the by-election and held the seat till 1867 when he was defeated by Dr Kevin O'Doherty.^[4]

His final representation in the Assembly came when he won the seat of North Brisbane in 1882, holding it for six years until losing the seat in 1888.^[5]

Brookes was appointed to the Queensland Legislative Council in 1891, serving for six years until his retirement from politics in 1897.^[1]

Personal life

In Sydney in 1849, Brookes married Mary Ann Evans, whom he had met on the voyage to Australia and together they had five children.^[1] Brookes died in 1898 and was buried in South Brisbane Cemetery.^[6]

References

1. "Former Members". Parliament of Queensland. 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
2. Brookes, William (1825–1898) – Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
3. "Former Members". Parliament of Queensland. 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
4. "NORTH BRISBANE ELECTION.". The Brisbane Courier (National Library of Australia). 24 June 1867. p. 2. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
5. "The General Election.". The Brisbane Courier (National Library of Australia). 7 May 1888. p. 5. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
6. Brooks William — Brisbane City Council Grave Location Search. Retrieved 14 March 2015.