James Edward Hiram Houghton (13 September 1911 – 21 January 1985) was a member of the

Queensland Legislative Assembly The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembly h ...

Biography

Houghton was born in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, the son of James Houghton and his wife Emily (née Corscadden) and the family moved to Queensland when he was still young. He was educated at Humpybong State School in Redcliffe before attending the

Brisbane Technical College Brisbane Central Technical College is a heritage-listed technical college at 2 George Street, Brisbane City, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1911 to 1956. It became the Queensland Institute of Technology (QIT) in ...

. He then embarked on a banking career with the

Commercial Bank of Australia The Commercial Bank of Australia Limited (CBA) was an Australian and New Zealand retail bank which operated from 1866 until it merged with the Bank of New South Wales, which was established in 1817, to form the Westpac Banking Corporation in ...

being posted to

Woolloongabba Woolloongabba ( ) is an inner southern Suburbs and localities (Australia), suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Woolloongabba had a population of 8,687 people. Geography Woolloongabba is located by road south of the ...

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...

, and

Proston Proston is a rural town and locality in the South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Proston had a population of 410 people. Geography The town is located north-west of the state capital, Brisbane northwest of th ...

.Motion of Condolence
—

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. Retrieved 11 June 2016. At the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

he joined the Australian Army, serving with the 5th Light Horse and 5th Motor Regiment and later rose to the rank of

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

with the 2/12 Battalion (7th Division) where he fought in

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

.HOUGHTON, JAMES EDWARD HIRAM
— World War II Nominal Roll. Retrieved 11 June 2016. He was discharged in 1945 and established a real estate business at

, later moving to Redcliffe. On 24 February, 1938. Houghton married Mary Auld Shinnie (died 1989)Deceased search
—

Moreton Bay Regional Council The City of Moreton Bay, known until July 2023 as the Moreton Bay Region, is a local government area in the north of the Brisbane metropolitan city in South East Queensland, Australia. Established in 2008, it replaced three established local g ...

. Retrieved 11 June 2016. and together had two sons and two daughters. He died in January 1985 and was buried in the Redcliffe Cemetery.

Public career

From 1955 to 1964, Houghton was the mayor of the

Redcliffe Town Council The City of Redcliffe is a former local government area in South East Queensland, Australia. In 2008, it was amalgamated with the Shires of Pine Rivers and Caboolture to create Moreton Bay Region, later renamed City of Moreton Bay. It was in the ...

which became the Redcliffe City Council in 1959. He missed out on pre-selection for the Country Party and instead stood as an

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

for the new state seat of Redcliffe at the

1960 Queensland state election Elections were held in the Australian state of Queensland on 28 May 1960 to elect the 78 members of the state's Legislative Assembly. The election followed the enactment of the ''Electoral Districts Act 1958'', which increased the Assembly from ...

, easily winning the seat. He joined the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

in 1961 but was only a member of the party for a few months before again becoming an Independent and in 1962 he re-joined the Country Party whom he represented for the rest of his political career. He went on to represent the electorate until his resignation from politics in August 1979. He was the

Speaker of the Queensland Legislative Assembly Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by David ...

from 1974 until 1979. He had only been speaker for 55 minutes before ejecting the Labor member for

Mourilyan Mourilyan is a town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Cassowary Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It was established around the Mourilyan sugar mill which provided much of the employment in the area until it was destroyed ...

Peter Moore for continual interjections.Question time
—

. Retrieved 11 June 2016. As Speaker, Houghton particularly rejected members who used parliamentary privilege to make unfounded allegations. In his maiden speech, Mr Houghton gave notice of his interest in keeping debate within the bounds of parliamentary dignity. In the speech he castigated members who used the Chamber as a place where, under parliamentary privilege, they could denigrate a person or organisation. He was particularly critical of members who, having made allegations, refused to make information available outside the House to assist police investigations. Houghton worked hard to have the toll on the Hornibrook Highway removed and have the road links with Redcliffe upgraded. In his honour, the new bridge replacing the Hornibrook Highway was named the Houghton Highway.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Houghton, James Edward Hiram Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly 1911 births 1985 deaths National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Queensland Speakers of the Queensland Legislative Assembly 20th-century Australian politicians Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Queensland