Frederic Dudley North (9 November 1866 – 22 August 1921) was an English-born public servant and sportsman. A descendant of the

Barons North Baron North, of Kirtling Tower in the County of Cambridge, is an abeyance, abeyant title in the Peerage of England. Its most famous holder was Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guilford, 8th Baron North, who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain ...

, he attended

Rugby School Rugby School is a Public school (United Kingdom), private boarding school for pupils aged 13–18, located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire in England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independ ...

before emigrating to

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

in 1886. North played two first-class matches for

, and was also involved in cricket administration, serving as the first secretary of the

Western Australian Cricket Association WA Cricket (formerly known as the Western Australian Cricket Association or WACA) is the governing body for cricket in Western Australia. The WACA was formed on 5 November 1885. In 1893, the association opened the WACA Ground. Elite cricket WA ...

(WACA). Outside of cricket, North worked as a

public servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...

, filling various roles in the

Western Australian government The Government of Western Australia is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of Western Australia. It is also commonly referred to as the WA Government or the Western Australian Government. The Government of Western Australi ...

, including secretary to

Sir John Forrest Sir John Forrest (22 August 1847 – 2 SeptemberSome sources give the date as 3 September 1918 1918) was an Australian explorer and politician. He was the first premier of Western Australia (1890–1901) and a long-serving cabinet minister in ...

, the first

Premier of Western Australia The premier of Western Australia is the head of government of the state of Western Australia. The role of premier at a state level is similar to the role of the prime minister of Australia at a federal level. The premier leads the executive br ...

, and head Colonial Secretary's Department. He was also Mayor of Cottesloe in 1906 and 1907 and again from 1911 to 1916. North died in Cottesloe from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

in 1921, at the age of 54.

Early life

North was born on 9 November 1866, in

Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...

in London, to Charles Augustus North and Rachel Elizabeth Grant. On his father's side, he was a descendant of the

. His mother was a daughter of the Scottish artist Sir Francis Grant. He was educated at

, playing two matches for the school's cricket team against

Marlborough College Marlborough College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English private boarding school) for pupils aged 13 to 18 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. It was founded as Marlborough School in 1843 by the Dean of Manchester, George ...

, taking 10 wickets. North emigrated to

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

, Western Australia, in 1886, becoming a junior clerk in the

Lands Department The Lands Department is a government department under the Development Bureau responsible for all land matters in Hong Kong. Established in 1982, it comprises three functional offices: the Lands Administration Office The Lands Administration O ...

in January 1887. On 19 January 1887, he married Flora Frances Hamersley, the daughter of Edward Hamersley II, a member of the pioneering

Hamersley family The Hamersley family were a wealthy and well-connected family of early settlers in the colony of Western Australia. Members of the Hamersley family emigrated to Western Australia from England in 1837. Prominent members and connections of the fa ...

, and sister-in-law to

John Forrest Sir John Forrest (22 August 1847 – 2 SeptemberSome sources give the date as 3 September 1918 1918) was an Australian explorer and politician. He was the first premier of Western Australia (1890–1901) and a long-serving cabinet minister in ...

. He later had four children with her – two sons and two daughters, including Charles Frederic North, who later served as the Speaker of the

Western Australian Legislative Assembly The Western Australian Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Western Australia, an Australian state. The Parliament sits in Parliament House, Perth, Parliament House in the Western Australian capi ...

Sporting career

North was a pioneer of

cricket in Western Australia Cricket is one of the most popular sports in Western Australia. The governing body of the game in WA is WA Cricket. Western Australia is represented at Sheffield Shield and domestic one-day level by the Western Warriors, and in the Big Bash Leagu ...

, organising the first tour of the eastern colonies by a state representative team, in 1893, and serving as the first secretary of the

(WACA). In 1943, the '' Western Mail'' described him as "one of the greatest batsmen who ever played in W.A."F. D. North Was Fine Sport
– '' Western Mail''. Published 4 July 1943. From ''Trove'', the

National Library of Australia The National Library of Australia (NLA), formerly the Commonwealth National Library and Commonwealth Parliament Library, is the largest reference library in Australia, responsible under the terms of the ''National Library Act 1960'' for "mainta ...

. Retrieved 30 August 2011. He also participated in Western Australia's first two

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is of three or more days scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officially adju ...

matches; against

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

and

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

, in March and April 1893 respectively. North was the top scorer in the first innings of Western Australia's match against South Australia, scoring 25 batting at #4. In the second innings of Western Australia's match against Victoria, he scored 77 batting at #3, which was Western Australia's first half-century in first-class cricket. He also took 2/14 in Victoria's first innings, dismissing Australian

Test Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film) ...

batsman Samuel Morris. Playing for the Metropolitans Cricket Club in the

Western Australian Grade Cricket Western Australian Premier Cricket is a club cricket cricket competition played at a level below the first-class Western Warriors and other state teams. The competition is administered by the Western Australian Cricket Association. It is the pr ...

competition, North led the First Grade batting aggregates in 1891–92 (243 runs) and 1892–93 (297 runs at an

average In colloquial, ordinary language, an average is a single number or value that best represents a set of data. The type of average taken as most typically representative of a list of numbers is the arithmetic mean the sum of the numbers divided by ...

of 27.00), and the First Grade bowling aggregates in 1887–88 (44 wickets at an

of 4.06). North also captained the Claremont-Cottesloe Cricket Club. North also represented Western Australia at tennis, and founded the Sea View Golf Club in Cottesloe in 1909. His former residence on Forrest Street, named ''Catlidge'' and designed by architect

George Temple-Poole George Thomas Temple-Poole (born George Thomas Temple, 29 May 1856 – 27 February 1934) was a British architect and public servant, primarily known for his work in Western Australia from 1885. As Superintendent of Public Works, and then Pri ...

, served as the first clubhouse.Frederick Dudley North (1866–1921)
– Obituaries Australia. Retrieved 30 August 2011.

Public service career

In 1891, North was appointed clerk of the

Executive Council of Western Australia The Executive Council of Western Australia advises the Governor of Western Australia on matters relating to the government of the State. The governor can then give legal form to decisions made by the Cabinet of Western Australia. It consists of ...

. He served as secretary to the

, also serving as aide-de-camp to the

Governor of Western Australia The governor of Western Australia is the representative in Western Australia of the monarch, King Charles III. As with the other governors of the Australian states, the governor of Western Australia performs constitutional, ceremonial and commun ...

, William Robinson, from 1894 to 1895. North accompanied Forrest to the

Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria The Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria was officially celebrated on 22 June 1897 to mark the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession on 20 June 1837. Queen Victoria was the first British monarch ever to celebrate a Diamond ...

, and represented Western Australia on the committee welcoming the

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

and

Duchess of York Duchess of York is the principal courtesy title held by the wife of the Duke of York. Three of the eleven Dukes of York either did not marry or had already assumed the throne prior to marriage, while two of the Dukes married twice; therefore, th ...

to Australia for the opening of the first

Federal Parliament The Parliament of Australia (officially the Parliament of the Commonwealth and also known as the Federal Parliament) is the federal legislature of Australia. It consists of three elements: the monarch of Australia (represented by the governor ...

Melbourne 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 ...

. In 1902, North was appointed head of the Colonial Secretary's Department, and he was appointed a Companion of the

Order of Saint Michael and Saint George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George I ...

(CMG) in the November

1902 Birthday Honours The 1902 Birthday Honours were announced on 10 November 1902, to celebrate the birthday of Edward VII the previous day. The list included appointments to various orders and honours of the United Kingdom and the British Empire. The list was publi ...

list. He served as the president of the Civil Service Association of Western Australia from 1908 to 1911. North was appointed Comptroller-General of Prisons in 1912. North served as the chairman of the Cottesloe Road District from 1906 to 1907 and as mayor of the Municipality of Cottesloe from 1911 to 1916. North retired from the Civil Service Association in September 1920 due to ill health.Under-Secretary Retires After 34 Year's Service
– ''

The West Australian ''The West Australian'' is the only locally edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia. It is owned by Seven West Media (SWM), as is the state's other major newspaper, ''The Sunday Times''. It is the second-oldest continuousl ...

''. Published 22 September 1920. From ''Trove'', the

. Retrieved 30 August 2011. North died after he collapsed at the Sea View Golf Club, in August 1921.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:North, Frederic 1866 births 1921 deaths Australian cricket administrators Australian cricketers Australian sportsperson-politicians Mayors of places in Western Australia Frederic People educated at Rugby School People from Kensington Pre-Federation Australian cricket administrators Public servants of Western Australia Western Australia cricketers Australian Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Western Australian local councillors