David John Wordsworth (born 9 June 1930) is a former Australian politician who was a Liberal Party member of the Western Australian Legislative Council from 1971 to 1993. He served as a minister in the government of Sir Charles Court. Wordsworth was born in

Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...

, India, to Margaret Joan (née Reynolds) and Robert Wordsworth. His Australian-born father was a

British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...

general, and settled in Tasmania after World War II, eventually being elected to the

Australian Senate The Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives (Australia), House of Representatives. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Chapter ...

. Wordsworth was educated at

Launceston Grammar School (Unless the Lord is with us, our labour is in vain) , established = , type = Independent, co-educational, day & boarding , denomination = Anglican , slogan = Nurture, Challenge ...

and Geelong Grammar School (the latter in Victoria), and went on to study agriculture at New Zealand's Lincoln College. He initially farmed at Hagley, Tasmania, but left for Western Australia in 1961, buying a property near Esperance.David John Wordsworth
– Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 22 May 2016. In 1958, he had married Marie Louise Johnston, a daughter of Bertie Johnston (a former senator). The couple had three children. Wordsworth was elected to the Shire of Esperance council in 1969, and at the 1971 state election was elected to the Legislative Council's South Province. After the 1977 election, he was named Minister for Transport in the Court government.New Transport Minister '' Electric Traction'' April 1977 page 62 Following a ministerial reshuffle in August 1978, he was instead appointed Minister for Lands and

Minister for Forests Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

, titles which he would hold until Court resigned as premier in January 1982. The Legislative Council was reformed prior to the 1989 state election, and Wordsworth transferred to the new

Agricultural region The Agricultural Region is a multi-member electoral region of the Western Australian Legislative Council, located in the South West, Peel and part of the Great Southern regions of the state. It was created by the ''Acts Amendment (Electoral Re ...

. He served only a single four-year term before leaving parliament. Wordsworth retired to Perth, and was a member of the

senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

Murdoch University Murdoch University is a public university in Perth, Western Australia, with campuses also in Singapore and Dubai. It began operations as the state's second university on 25 July 1973, and accepted its first undergraduate students in 1975. Its n ...

from 1994 to 1998.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Wordsworth, David 1930 births Living people Indian emigrants to Australia Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Western Australia Lincoln University (New Zealand) alumni Members of the Western Australian Legislative Council People educated at Geelong Grammar School People educated at Launceston Church Grammar School 20th-century Australian farmers