Arthur William Wansbrough (20 August 1877 – 3 September 1949) was an Australian trade unionist and politician who was a Labor Party member of the Legislative Assembly of

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 th ...

from 1924 to 1936, representing the seat of Albany. Wansbrough was born in

York, Western Australia York is the oldest inland town in Western Australia, situated on the Avon River, east of Perth in the Wheatbelt, on Ballardong Nyoongar land,King, A and Parker, E: York, Western Australia's first inland town, Parker Print, 2003 p.3. and is ...

, to Matilda (née Massingham) and Joseph Wansbrough. He was raised in

Beverley Beverley is a market town, market and minster (church), minster town and a civil parishes in England, civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, of which it is the county town. The town centre is located south-east of York's centre ...

, where his parents were among the first settlers, and after leaving school worked in a post office for a period. In 1896, Wansbrough joined

Western Australian Government Railways Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) was the operator of railway services in the state of Western Australia between October 1890 and June 2003. Owned by the state government, it was renamed a number of times to reflect extra responsi ...

(WAGR), eventually becoming the senior

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

on the Great Southern Railway (based out of Albany). He and his brothers purchased a farming property at Bally Bally (near Beverley) in 1898, but he relinquished his share in 1904.Arthur William Wansbrough
– Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 15 July 2016. Wansbrough first stood for parliament at the 1921 state election, but lost to the sitting Country Party member for Albany,

John Scaddan John Scaddan, CMG (4 August 1876 – 21 November 1934), popularly known as "Happy Jack", was Premier of Western Australia from 7 October 1911 until 27 July 1916. Early life John Scaddan was born in Moonta, South Australia, into a Cornish A ...

(who was a former Labor

premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

). The following year, at the 1922 Legislative Council elections, he contested

South-East Province The South-East Province was an electoral region of the Western Australian Legislative Council, introduced after the introduction of responsible government in the 1890s. It initially comprised Williams, Plantagenet The House of Plantagenet ( ...

, but was defeated by the Country Party's Alfred Burvill. At the 1924 state election, which saw the election of a Labor government, Wansbrough successfully re-contested the seat of Albany. He remained in parliament until the 1936 election, when he was defeated by a Country candidate, Leonard Hill. After leaving parliament, Wansbrough returned to the railways. He attempted to reclaim his seat at the 1939 election but was unsuccessful. Wansbrough died in Albany in September 1949, aged 72. He had married Ada Louise Cooper in 1903, with whom he had four children. Wansbrough's older brother, Charles Wansbrough, was also a member of parliament, representing the Country Party in the seat of Beverley. They served together from 1924 to 1930, and are the only brothers in the history of the

Parliament of Western Australia The Parliament of Western Australia is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Western Australia, forming the legislative branch of the Government of Western Australia. The parliament consists of a lower house, the Legislative Ass ...

to have represented different parties while sitting together. David Black (2014)
''The Western Australian Parliamentary Handbook (Twenty-Third Edition)''
, pp. 245–246.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wansbrough, Arthur 1877 births 1949 deaths Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Western Australia Australian people in rail transport Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly People from York, Western Australia Conductor (rail)