David James (1854 – 21 July 1926) was an Australian politician who represented the

South Australian House of Assembly The House of Assembly (also known as the lower house) is one of two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia, the other being the Legislative Council. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Adelaide. Overview The House of Assem ...

multi-member An electoral or voting system is a set of rules used to determine the results of an election. Electoral systems are used in politics to elect governments, while non-political elections may take place in business, nonprofit organizations and inf ...

seat of Wooroora from 1902 to 1918 for the Australasian National League and the Liberal Union.

History

James was born in

Nantyglo Nantyglo () is a village in the ancient parish of Aberystruth and county of Monmouth situated deep within the South Wales Valleys between Blaina and Brynmawr in the county borough of Blaenau Gwent. Governance An Wards and electoral divisions of ...

Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South East Wales, south east of Wales. It borders Powys to the north; the English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the north and east; the Severn Estuary to the s ...

, Wales, son of Rees James and his wife Mary, and worked in the coal-mines as a youth. In 1877, after the death of his father, he emigrated to South Australia with his mother, sister, and brothers Edward and Evan aboard ''Lochee'', arriving in February 1877, and they settled in

Kapunda Kapunda is a town on the Light River near the Barossa Valley in South Australia. It was established after a discovery in 1842 of significant copper deposits. The population was 2,917 at the 2016 Australian census. The southern entrance to th ...

. He worked in various areas of the country as a contractor, and while sinking

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...

s on Mount Gipps sheep-station, he and his mate Jim Poole were persuaded to join Charles Rasp in pegging mineral claims on what would become

Broken Hill Broken Hill is a city in the Far West (New South Wales), far west region of outback New South Wales, Australia. An inland mining city, it is near the border with South Australia on the crossing of the Barrier Highway (A32) and the Silver City Hi ...

, the world's largest silver-lead-zinc mine. Led by George McCulloch, the " Syndicate of Seven" pegged further claims in the area and formed the Broken Hill Mining Company, later to become Broken Hill Proprietary. James sold half his share for £110; another quarter for £1800, but his remaining quarter share would entitle him to 500 shares in

BHP BHP Group Limited, founded as the Broken Hill Proprietary Company, is an Australian multinational mining and metals corporation. BHP was established in August 1885 and is headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria. As of 2024, BHP was the world� ...

. He returned to Kapunda, and was elected to the city council, serving as mayor 1888–1889 and 1900–1905, electing to have his mayoral allowance directed to local charities. He built a residence in the township, then in 1895 he purchased from James White a property "Albert Vale" which he renamed "Coalbrook Vale", around two miles from Kapunda on the Eudunda road. James was business partner with Rees Rees as owners of the H. B. Hawke & Co. engineering works of

from 1895 to 1903 when Rees became sole proprietor. In 1909 he became part-owner of the ''Kapunda Herald''. He was also known as a greyhound and racehorse owner and breeder; his dog Witchcraft sired many champions, and his horses include Auraria (

Melbourne Cup The Melbourne Cup is an annual Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne, Australia, at the Flemington Racecourse. It is a 3200-metre race for three-year-olds and older, conducted by the Victoria Racing Club that forms part of the ...

and VRC Victorian Oaks in 1895) and

, winner of the Australian Cup in 1894.

Family

On 19 February 1883 James married Emily Davies (c. 1856 – 19 March 1925), daughter of William Davies (died 13 April 1910) of Clydach, near

Abergavenny Abergavenny (; , , archaically , ) is a market town and Community (Wales), community in Monmouthshire, Wales. Abergavenny is promoted as a "Gateway to Wales"; it is approximately from the England–Wales border, border with England and is loca ...

, Wales. Their children include: *Alice Mary James (1886–1971) married Dr Walter Eugene Deravin (1878 – 28 June 1941) on 10 April 1907 *Edmund Rees James (1888–1952) married Marjorie Eulelia Bickford (1891–1971) of Kapunda in 1917. He was Lieut. James of 5th Reinforcements, 3rd Light Horse Regiment in 1915. She was a daughter of John Pepperell Bickford. *Emily Lois James (30 October 1891 – 31 March 1933) married Frank Kennington Taylor (1898–1980) of Walkerville He married again, to Ada Mullen (died 29 August 1949) in 1925. Ada was daughter of Kapunda saddler John Mullen (died 17 May 1890). Evan James (1859 – 21 September 1908) was a younger brother, builder and mayor of Kapunda. He married Catharine Elizabeth Meincke on 30 May 1882. Their children include: *David Ludwig James (1896–1954) of Kapunda served with

Australian Flying Corps The Australian Flying Corps (AFC) was the branch of the Australian Army responsible for operating aircraft during World War I, and the forerunner of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). The AFC was established in 1912, though it was not until ...

in WWI, married Ada in 1925 *Philippa Myra Elizabeth "Myra" James (1894–1970) married Leslie John Miller in 1923 *Myfanwy James (1902– ) married Herbert Walter Trevena (died 1972) in 1934

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:James, David 1854 births 1926 deaths Members of the South Australian House of Assembly History of Broken Hill Mayors of places in South Australia British emigrants to the Colony of South Australia

History

Family

See also

References