William Fergusson (politician) explained

William John Fergusson was a solicitor and politician from New South Wales, Australia.

He was a practicing solicitor in Sydney before entering politics, having been admitted in March 1876.[1] He was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for Glen Innes, at the 1880 election, serving until 1887.[2] Fergusson supported William Clarke's attempts to form a third party, however these failed with no other parliamentarian joining them, and Fergusson sat with the opposition to the ministry of Patrick Jennings.[3] Political parties emerged in New South Wales in 1887, divided on fiscal lines, and despite his previous opposition to Jennings, Fergusson stood as a candidate at the 1887 election for Wentworth, finishing a distant fourth.[4]

Very little is known of his biography, with his parliamentary biography bereft of the usual details.[5] On 14 May 1881 he married Emily Maud Mary York.[6] He was a partner in the legal firm Fergusson and Broad and by 1893 the partnership was in difficulty, having received £1,000 from a client and £500 went missing. The explanation offered by his partner was that Fergusson, who was in England, had sent a draft and the money lodged in the bank had been used to pay that draft.[7] He was a trustee of the will of James York, and in 1893 the beneficiaries, including his wife sought to have him removed as a trustee and to account for the money received by him.[8]

It appears that he never returned to Australia,[9] and his wife obtained a divorce in 1912 on the grounds of desertion.[10]

Fergusson is believed to have died in New Zealand.[5]

References

 

Notes and References

  1. News: Admission of Attorneys . . 27 March 1876 . 22 March 2021 . 2 . Trove.
  2. Elections for the District of Glen Innes . DistrictIndexes . Glen Innes . 15 August 2020.
  3. News: Fergusson, William John, Esq. (Glen Innes) . . 16 September 1886 . 22 March 2021 . 7 . Trove.
  4. 1887 . Wentworth . 2021-03-22.
  5. Mr William John Fergusson . 151 . Yes . 9 April 2019.
  6. News: Marriages: Fergusson-York . . 3 June 1881 . 22 March 2021 . 8 . Trove.
  7. News: Law report: Re Fergusson and Broad ex parte Lan Company of Australia . . 25 November 1893 . 22 March 2021 . 5 . Trove.
  8. News: Law report: Saunders v Fergusson . . 14 December 1893 . 22 March 2021 . 3 . Trove.
  9. News: Divorce Court . . 4 May 1912 . 22 March 2021 . 6 . Trove.
  10. News: Divorce Court . . 7 May 1912 . 22 March 2021 . 12 . Trove.