William Piddington

For other uses, see Piddington (disambiguation).
William Richman Piddington
Colonial Treasurer
In office
14 May 1872  4 December 1872
Preceded by George Lord
Succeeded by George Lloyd
Colonial Treasurer
In office
22 March 1877  16 August 1877
Preceded by Alexander Stuart
Succeeded by William Long
Personal details
Born (1815-01-01)1 January 1815
London
Died 25 November 1887(1887-11-25) (aged 72)
Sydney

William Richman Piddington (1815 – 25 November 1887) was an Australian bookseller and politician. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly between 1856 and 1877 and a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 1879 until his death. He served two brief terms as the Colonial Treasurer of New South Wales in 1872 and 1877.

Early life

Piddington came from a family of booksellers and was initially apprenticed to a bookshop in Bond Street London. He emigrated to Sydney in 1838 and after farming for a short time on the Hunter River established a stationary and book shop in Sydney. Philosophically a radical, he became politically active during the 1840s and 1850s and opposed the conservative constitution proposed by William Wentworth. He was a member of the committee of the Anti-Transportation League and an alderman of the Sydney Municipal Council in 1851.

Colonial Parliament

At the first election under the new constitution Piddington successfully contested the seats of Northumberland and Hunter. When this seat was abolished at the 1859 election he transferred to the seat of Hawkesbury which he represented until 1877. In 1869, he accepted a life appointment to the Legislative Council.

Government

Piddington was the Colonial Treasurer of New South Wales in two short lived governments of Henry Parkes in 1872 and 1877. He supported the extension of the rural railway network and was a strong opponent of state aid for religious schools. In his later years his political opinions became more conservative and he opposed the granting of universal male suffrage. He was described by David Buchanan as 'a little, squat, burly piece of pompous vulgarity' who 'abandoned all his political opinions and turned Tory'.

References

Parliament of New South Wales
Preceded by
First election
Member for Northumberland and Hunter
1856  1859
Served alongside: Scott/Hely/White
Succeeded by
seat abolished
Preceded by
New seat
Member for Hawkesbury
1859  1877
Served alongside: Darvall/Cunnenn/Moses
Succeeded by
Alexander Bowman
Political offices
Preceded by
George Lord
Colonial Treasurer
1872
Succeeded by
George Lloyd
Preceded by
Alexander Stuart
Colonial Treasurer
1877
Succeeded by
William Long
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