Sir Walter Kingsmill (10 April 1864 – 15 January 1935) was an Australian politician who served as a

Senator 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 e ...

for

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to ...

from 1923 to 1935. He was President of the Senate from 1929 to 1932.

Early life

Kingsmill was born on 10 April 1864 in

Glenelg, South Australia Glenelg is a beach-side suburb of the South Australian capital of Adelaide. Located on the shore of Holdfast Bay in Gulf St Vincent, it has become a tourist destination due to its beach and many attractions, home to several hotels and dozens of ...

. He was the son of Jane Elizabeth (née Haslam) and Walter Kingsmill; his father was a pastoralist. Kingsmill attended St Peter's College, Adelaide. He graduated

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

from the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on ...

in 1883 and subsequently joined the Geological Department of South Australia. In 1886 he left the public service to work as a prospector, spending time on the Teetulpa and

Mannahill Mannahill (gazetted as Manna Hill) is a town and locality in the Australian state of South Australia. Mannahill is in the Northeast Pastoral district and is one of the easternmost settlements in South Australia. At the 2016 census, Mannahill had ...

goldfields and in the Barrier Ranges of New South Wales. In 1888, Kingsmill moved to Western Australia, initially settling in

Perth Perth is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the Australian states and territories of Australia, state of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth most populous city in Aust ...

where he represented the Victorians Football Club in two matches in the

West Australian Football League The West Australian Football League (WAFL) is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The league currently consists of ten teams, which play each other in a 20-round season usually lasting from March to September ...

during the 1888 season. He soon moved to the north-west to participate in the Pilbara goldrush, remaining in the district for eight years where he managed the Stray Shot, Excelsior, Augusta, and Talga-Talga mines. He served as mining registrar at Marble Bar from November 1894 to October 1895 and was also a member of the Pilbara Road Board.

Western Australian politics

In 1897, he was elected to 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 in the Western Australian capital, Perth. The Legislat ...

as the member for

Pilbara The Pilbara () is a large, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Aboriginal peoples; its ancient landscapes; the red earth; and its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore. It is also a gl ...

. He moved to the Legislative Council in 1903. He served as Minister for Public Works in 1901, Commissioner for Railways 1901–1902, Colonial Secretary 1902–1904 and 1905–1906, and Minister for Education 1902–1904 and 1905–1906. He was President of the Legislative Council 1919–1922.

Federal politics

In 1922, he was elected to the Australian Senate as a

Nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a in-group and out-group, group of peo ...

Senator for Western Australia. On 14 August 1929, he was elected President of the Senate, serving until 30 August 1932, when he was replaced by Patrick Lynch. On 7 May 1931, Kingsmill chaired the meeting of opposition members at which the

United Australia Party The United Australia Party (UAP) was an Australian political party that was founded in 1931 and dissolved in 1945. The party won four federal elections in that time, usually governing in coalition with the Country Party. It provided two pri ...

came into existence as a parliamentary party. He retired at the 1934 election, but died on 15 January 1935 while still a senator, necessitating the early appointment of

Allan MacDonald Allan Macdonald (November 21, 1794 White Plains, Westchester County, New York – January 1862) was an American politician from New York. Life He was the son of Dr. Archibald Macdonald (d. 1813), a native of Scotland. Allan Macdonald was Postm ...

(who had been elected to succeed him).

Personal life

Kingsmill married Mary Fanning in 1899, but had no children. He moved to Sydney after his election to the Senate and died of a coronary occlusion at his home in Elizabeth Bay on 15 January 1935, aged 70. Kingsmill served two terms as president of the Lawn Tennis Association of Western Australia and was voted a life member. He was the president of the board of Perth Zoo from 1916 to 1922 and acting director from 1916 to 1917, during which time he travelled to Singapore and the

Federated Malay States The Federated Malay States (FMS, ms, Negeri-negeri Melayu Bersekutu, Jawi script, Jawi: ) was a federation of four protectorate, protected states in the Malay Peninsula—Selangor, Perak, Negeri Sembilan and Pahang—established by the United Ki ...

to buy animals. He was also 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 e ...

of the

University of Western Australia The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...

and the Kings Park board.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kingsmill, Walter Nationalist Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia United Australia Party members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian Senate for Western Australia Members of the Australian Senate Presidents of the Australian Senate Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly Members of the Western Australian Legislative Council Presidents of the Western Australian Legislative Council Australian Knights Bachelor 1864 births 1935 deaths People educated at St Peter's College, Adelaide West Perth Football Club players Australian rules footballers from Western Australia Australian sportsperson-politicians 20th-century Australian politicians Australian prospectors