Alexander Wallace Sandford (23 April 1849 – 31 December 1905), often written A. Wallace Sandford or Wallace Sandford, was an Australian produce merchant and politician. He was the senior partner in the successful A. W. Sandford & Co. produce business, and was a member of the

South Australian Legislative Council The Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. Its central purpose is to act as a house of review for legislation passed through the lower house, the South Australian House of Assembly, H ...

from 1897 to 1902. His eldest son, Sir

James Wallace Sandford Sir James Wallace Sandford (20 March 1879 – 9 July 1958), usually referred to as J. Wallace Sandford and later as simply Wallace Sandford, was a businessman and politician in the State of South Australia. History Sandford was born in Footsc ...

, was a prominent figure in South Australian public life.

History

Sandford was born near

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

Lanarkshire Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark (; ), is a Counties of Scotland, historic county, Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area and registration county in the Central Lowlands and Southern Uplands of Scotland. The county is no l ...

, Scotland, and emigrated to

Melbourne, Victoria Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

with his parents around 1864. He joined in the rush to the goldfields, where he worked for several years. He worked for a produce firm 1871 to 1874, then with a number of partners founded his own bacon curing business with a factory in

Yarraville Yarraville is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, west of Melbourne's central business district, located within the City of Maribyrnong local government area. Yarraville recorded a population of 15,636 at the . Yarraville i ...

and stores in Melbourne, and was soon doing business in the Riverina district in New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland, later specialising in dairy products. In 1880 they opened branches in

Mount Gambier Mount Gambier is the second most populated city in South Australia, with a population of 25,591 as of the 2021 census. The city is located on the slopes of Mount Gambier (volcano), Mount Gambier, a volcano in the south east of the state, about ...

and

Port Adelaide Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide city centre, Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is t ...

. They established butter factories and creameries in various country towns, investing heavily in the most modern machinery and large refrigeration plant. The transferred their head office to Adelaide around 1881, leaving his brother John W. Sandford, who was a junior partner, in charge of the Melbourne operation. They developed a thriving export trade. As his health deteriorated his eldest son J. Wallace Sandford took over much of the management duties.

Politics

In 1897 be was elected to the Legislative Council for the Southern District. He was a strong advocate for the interests of rural producers.

Other interests

He was proud of his Scottish heritage, and was prominent in the South Australian Caledonian Society, and its Chief 1895–1897. He was also a Freemason, and one of the founders of Commercial Lodge in 1891. He was for some years Vice-President of the

Royal Agricultural and Horticultural Society The Royal Agricultural and Horticultural Society of South Australia was founded in November 1839 as the South Australian Agricultural Society with the aim of promoting primary industries in the Colony. The Society and its functions were patterned ...

(his son J. Wallace Sandford was president 1921–1923), and was a member of the Agricultural Bureau. He was associated with the Tynte Street Baptist church.

Family

He married Ada Emilia Waite (ca.1858 – 27 January 1929) in

Collingwood, Victoria Collingwood is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3km north-east of the Melbourne central business district, located within the City of Yarra Local government areas of Victoria, local government area. Collingwood recorded a ...

on 23 March 1878. They had three sons and three daughters: *Sir (James) Wallace Sandford (20 March 1879 – 9 July 1958) married Kate Irene "Kittie" MacLeod on 10 April 1907 *Olive May Sandford (17 August 1881 – ) was hon. secretary Melbourne District Nursing Society. *Clarice Jeannie Sandford (7 May 1883 – ) married Dr. Frank Marshall of Sydney *Major (Lewis) Gordon Sandford MC. (11 February 1885 – ) with Royal Field Artillery World War I, remained in England. *Percy Warwick Sandford (6 April 1887 – ) married Chryse Maitland Hussey on 1 June 1912 *Dr. Elma Linton Sandford (22 February 1890 – 1983) qualified B.M. in 1917, married Major H. Morgan; both adopted surname Sandford-Morgan. Author of ''ABC of Mothercraft'' (1930). Appointed medical officer for

MBHA Helen Mary Mayo (1 October 1878 – 13 November 1967) was an Australian medical doctor and medical educator, born and raised in Adelaide. In 1896, she enrolled at the University of Adelaide, where she studied medicine. After graduating, May ...

1937.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sandford, Alexander Wallace Members of the South Australian Legislative Council 1849 births 1905 deaths 19th-century Australian politicians 19th-century Australian businesspeople Colony of South Australia people Scottish emigrants to colonial Australia Businesspeople from Glasgow Politicians from Glasgow Politicians from Melbourne