Jump to content

Henry Copeland (politician)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Henry Copeland, (6 June 1839 – 22 June 1904) was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.[1]

Henry Copeland, 1880

Copeland was born in Hull, Yorkshire, England. Aged 18 years, he arrived in Williamstown, Victoria and spent around 15 years on the goldfields as a digger, farmer and contractor.[2] In 1863 he visited England where he married Hannah née Beecroft on 20 April. He would later marry her sister Mary and had 4 sons and 7 daughters from both marriages. He moved to New South Wales in 1872.

Copeland was elected unopposed to the New South Wales Mining Board in 1874.[2] He entered the New South Wales Legislative Assembly and represented six different seats between 1877 and 1900.[2]

He was briefly Secretary for Public Works in the Stuart ministry appointed in January 1883, defeated in the resulting ministerial by-election and was returned to the assembly at the East Sydney by-election held the following week, before resigning from the ministry in March 1883 following a speech he made, whilst intoxicated, at the St Patrick's day banquet.[1] He was Secretary for Lands in the Jennings ministry from February 1886 to January 1887. In October 1891, when the third Dibbs ministry Government was formed, he was again appointed Secretary for Lands from October 1891 until August 1894.[3]

He was appointed Agent-General for New South Wales in London in May 1900, serving until 18 July 1903.[1]

Copeland died in Twickenham, London, England on 22 June 1904(1904-06-22) (aged 65).[1]

His brother was the Rev. G.D. Copeland of St Stephen's, London.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d Rutledge, Martha. "Copeland, Henry (1839–1904)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  2. ^ a b c "The Hon. Henry Copeland (1839-1904)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  3. ^ Mennell, Philip (1892). "Copeland, Hon. Henry" . The Dictionary of Australasian Biography. London: Hutchinson & Co – via Wikisource.

 

Parliament of New South Wales
Political offices
Preceded by Secretary for Public Works
January – March 1883
Succeeded by
Preceded by Secretary for Lands
1886 – 1887
Succeeded by
Preceded by Secretary for Lands
1891 – 1894
Succeeded by
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
Preceded by Member for Goldfields North
1877 – 1880
Abolished
Preceded by Member for New England
1880 – 1882
With: William Proctor
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member for Newtown
1882 – 1883
With: Frederick Gibbes
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member for East Sydney
1883 – 1887
With: Edmund Barton
George Griffiths / George Reid
George Reid / Sydney Burdekin
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member for New England
1887 – 1894
With: James Inglis
none / Edmund Lonsdale
Abolished
New district Member for Armidale
1894 – 1895
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member for Sydney-Phillip
1895 – 1900
Succeeded by
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Agent-General for New South Wales
1900 – 1903
Succeeded by