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John Marks (24 November 1827 – 3 March 1885) was an Australian farmer and politician. He was a member of the
New South Wales Legislative Council The New South Wales Legislative Council, often referred to as the upper house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, parliament of the Australian state of New South Wales. Along with the New South Wales Legislative As ...
between 1878 and 1885. He was also a member of the
New South Wales Legislative Assembly The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wales Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House ...
for two terms from 1856 until 1859.


Early life

Marks was the son of an Irish farmer who emigrated, with his family, to the
Illawarra The Illawarra is a coastal Regions of New South Wales, region in the southeast of the Australian state of New South Wales. It is situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the South Coast, New South Wales, South Coast region. It encompas ...
district when Marks was a few months old. After an elementary education in Sydney he became a successful farmer in Jamberoo near
Kiama Kiama may refer to: * Electoral district of Kiama, a seat in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly * Kiama, New South Wales, a town * Kiama (spider), a genus of spiders *Municipality of Kiama The Municipality of Kiama is a local government ar ...
. By 1860, Marks had acquired substantial property in Sydney and had become independently wealthy. He was an alderman on Kiama Municipal Council between 1868 and 1874 and was the Mayor in 1870. Marks was also involved in numerous local organisations including the Presbyterian Church, Aboriginal Protection Board and Agricultural Society. He was a nephew of Samuel Charles who was also a Mayor of Kiama and a member of the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council.


Colonial Parliament

In
1856 Events January–March * January 8 – Borax deposits are discovered in large quantities by John Veatch in California. * January 23 – The American sidewheel steamer SS ''Pacific'' leaves Liverpool (England) for a transatl ...
Marks was elected as one of the two members for East Camden in the first New South Wales Legislative Assembly under responsible government. He was re-elected at the next election in
1858 Events January–March * January 9 ** Revolt of Rajab Ali: British forces finally defeat Rajab Ali Khan of Chittagong. ** Anson Jones, the last president of the Republic of Texas, commits suicide. * January 14 – Orsini affair: Pi ...
. Marks was a supporter of
Charles Cowper Sir Charles Cowper (), (26 April 1807 – 19 October 1875) was an Australian politician and the Premier of New South Wales on five occasions from 1856 to 1870. Cowper did useful work but does not rank among the more distinguished Australian ...
but became disillusioned with him when Cowper failed to support the construction of a breakwater in Kiama. He did not stand as a candidate when his electorate was abolished before the
1859 Events January–March * January 21 – José Mariano Salas (1797–1867) becomes Conservative interim President of Mexico. * January 24 ( O. S.) – Under the rule of Alexandru Ioan Cuza, the provinces of Wallachia and Moldavia are uni ...
election and he declined Cowper's invitation to join the Legislative Council in 1861.


Government

On 23 January 1878 Marks became a life appointee to the Legislative Council when
James Farnell James Squire Farnell (25 June 1825 – 21 August 1888) was an Australian politician and Premier of New South Wales. Farnell was a hard-working legislator who gave much study to the land question and also tried hard for some years to pass a bill ...
appointed him to the position of Vice President of the Executive Council and Representative of the Government in the Legislative Council. In this position he was responsible for ensuring the passage of government legislation, including a contentious land bill, through the upper house. Marks lost the position when Farnell's government fell in December 1878 but he continued to attend the Legislative Council until his death. His infrequent speeches were noted for their moderation and 'gentlemanly style'.


References

  {{DEFAULTSORT:Marks, John 1827 births 1885 deaths Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Members of the New South Wales Legislative Council Irish emigrants to colonial Australia Colony of New South Wales politicians