John Sinclair (1827–1906) was an

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...

and

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

of the Town of Brisbane in

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, Australia.

Personal life

John Sinclair was born at

Govan Govan ( ; Cumbric: ''Gwovan''; Scots language, Scots: ''Gouan''; Scottish Gaelic: ''Baile a' Ghobhainn'') is a district, parish, and former burgh now part of southwest Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated west of Glasgow city centre, on the sout ...

Lanarkshire Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark (; ), is a Counties of Scotland, historic county, Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area and registration county in the Central Lowlands and Southern Uplands of Scotland. The county is no l ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

on 8 December 1827, the son of John Sinclair and Jane Smith. John Sinclair married Jane Kelman in Brisbane on 11 August 1857.Queensland Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages They had several children (most of whom died in infancy): * Jessie Jane Sinclair, born about 1859, married to George Robert Townsend on 23 February 1881"Mrs George Townsend"
The Brisbane Courier, Tuesday 1 August 1933, page 14 * John Sinclair, born in Brisbane on 10 May 1860, died 9 January 1863 * Christine Swan Sinclair, born in Brisbane on 2 April 1862, died in Brisbane on 7 January 1863 * Margaret Callander Sinclair, born in Brisbane on 18 December 1863 * James Swan Sinclair, born in Brisbane on 12 August 1865 * Jane Kelman Sinclair, born in Brisbane on 17 January 1867, died in Brisbane on 4 April 1867 * Matilda Maria Sinclair, born in Brisbane on 21 February 1869, died in Brisbane on 4 May 1869 His wife Jane died in Brisbane on 11 February 1872. Tragically, two of the children who survived infancy died as young adults. His daughter Margaret died in Brisbane on 10 August 1886 aged 22 years from a cold that escalated into

diphtheria Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacteria, bacterium ''Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild Course (medicine), clinical course, but in some outbreaks, the mortality rate approaches 10%. Signs a ...

. His son James died six months later; he drowned while

droving Droving is the practice of walking livestock over long distances. It is a type of herding, often associated with cattle, in which case it is a cattle drive (particularly in the US). Droving stock to market—usually on foot and often with the ...

cattle across Kyabra Creek at Euroongoola Station in Western Queensland on 27 February 1887 aged 21 years.Toowong Cemetery Monumental Inscriptions – Queensland Family History Society Inc. On 14 January 1888 in Brisbane, John Sinclair married again to Constance Isabel Georgina Geoghegan, the daughter of Thomas Geoghegan and Margaret Maria Hebden. They had two children: * Arthur John Sinclair, born in Brisbane on 29 October 1888, married Rosa Gertrude Chuter on 16 November 1911 * Hazel Jean Sinclair, born in Brisbane on 13 April 1892, married John Lionel Barry on 3 June 1913 His second wife Constance died at their home, Delholm, Kangaroo Point on 21 May 1893. Having lost both wives, John Sinclair spend his later years in poor health, living at his home, Delholm, at 393 Main Street, Kangaroo Point, attended by a housekeeper, a groom and a male nurse. John Sinclair died at Kangaroo Point,

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

on 5 May 1906 aged 78 years and was buried in

Toowong Cemetery Toowong Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery on the corner of Frederick Street and Mt Coot-tha Road, Toowong, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was established in 1866 and formally opened in 1875. It is Queensland, Queensland's lar ...

, together with his second wife Constance and his two of his adult children Margaret and James.

Business life

In 1854 John Sinclair came to Brisbane as

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

on the steamer ''Boomerang'', which brought to Brisbane the news of the fall of Sevastopol and of the

Eureka Stockade The Eureka Rebellion was a series of events involving gold miners who revolted against the British administration of the colony of Victoria, Australia, during the Victorian gold rush. It culminated in the Battle of the Eureka Stockade, wh ...

. Later he settled in Brisbane and worked as an engineer. In 1868 he was appointed as manager of Queensland Iron Works, owned by Robert R. Smellie. He was such a success as a manager in expanding the business that he became a partner in 1872 The iron shipbuilding branch of the business was responsible for building the ''Louisa'', a cargo steamer that was used for trade along the

Brisbane River The Brisbane River (Turrbal language, Turrbal: ) is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia. It flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the ...

between

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

Moreton Bay Moreton Bay is a bay located on the eastern coast of Australia from central Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources. The waters of Moreton Bay are a popular destination for recreational anglers and are ...

.''Death of Mr John Sinclair''
The Brisbane Courier, Monday 7 May 1906, p. 7

Public life

John Sinclair was an

of the

Brisbane Municipal Council The Town of Brisbane was a Local government in Australia, local government area of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia from 1859 to 1903. It was later elevated to city status and was the City of Brisbane from 1903 until it was amalagamated into ...

for the ward of Kangaroo Point from 1871 until 1874 when he retired. In 1876 he was elected again as alderman. He was

of the

in 1880 and 1881 and then retired again in 1882. However, he was elected again as alderman in 1886 and 1887, after which he finally retired from the council.Brisbane City Council Archives He served on the following committees: * Finance Committee 1871, 1872, 1874, 1878, 1887 * Legislative Committee 1872–1874, 1876, 1877, 1879–1881, 1886, 1887 * Improvement Committee 1877, 1879–1881 * Brisbane Board of Waterworks 1879–1901 * Wharfage Committee 1881 * Town Hall Committee 1886 * Works Committee 1886 In Sept 1881, during his time as mayor, Brisbane received a royal visit from Prince Edward (later

Duke of Clarence and Avondale Duke of Clarence and Avondale was a title awarded to Prince Albert Victor, a grandson of Queen Victoria, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Whilst there had previously been several creations of Duke of Clarence, Dukes of Clarence (and one Duk ...

and

Earl of Athlone The title of Earl of Athlone has been created three times. History It was created first in the Peerage of Ireland in 1692 by King William III for General Baron van Reede, Lord of Ginkel, a Dutch nobleman, to honour him for his successful ...

) and his brother Prince George (later

George V of the United Kingdom George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. George was born during the reign of his pa ...

). Assisted by his daughters Jessie and Margaret, John Sinclair entertained the royal party at a ball in the old Exhibition Building, a function of great brilliance."The Visit of the Princes"
The Queenslander, Saturday 10 September 1881, p. 4S.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sinclair, John Mayors and lord mayors of Brisbane 1827 births 1906 deaths People from Govan Burials at Toowong Cemetery 19th-century Australian politicians Pre-Separation Queensland

Personal life

Business life

Public life

See also

References

External links