Arnold Edmund Piesse (2 April 1872 – 21 July 1935) was an Australian politician who served as a 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 1909 to 1914 and again from 1930 until his death, on both occasions representing the seat of Katanning. Piesse was born in

Guildford, Western Australia Guildford is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, 12 km northeast of the city centre within the City of Swan. Guildford was founded in 1829 as one of the earliest settlements of the Swan River Colony. It is one of only three towns in the ...

, to Elizabeth Ellen (née Oxley) and William Roper Piesse. Three of his brothers,

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, Charles, and Frederick Piesse, were also members of parliament. After leaving school, Piesse worked in Northam for five years, employed by the merchant firm of

George Throssell George Lionel Throssell (23 May 1840 – 30 August 1910) was the second Premier of Western Australia. He served for just three months, from 15 February to 27 May 1901, during a period of great instability in Western Australian politics. Geor ...

(a future premier). He then joined two of his brothers (Charles and Frederick) in business at Katanning, eventually taking over the company. Piesse was eventually elected to the Katanning Road Board, and served as its chairman for a period.Arnold Edmund Piesse
– Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 12 June 2016. He first entered parliament in November 1909, winning the seat of Katanning unopposed at the by-election caused by the resignation of his brother Frederick. He was re-elected at the 1911 state election, standing for the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

, but after a period of ill health chose not to re-contest his seat at the 1914 election. After leaving parliament, Piesse went to England on a health trip, and did not return to Australia until 1925. Standing as an unendorsed Country Party candidate, Piesse re-entered parliament at the 1930 state election, defeating Alec Thomson (the sitting Country Party leader who had been Piesse's successor in 1914). He was re-elected at the 1933 election, but died in office in July 1935 (aged 63). He had left for a health trip to England in February of that year, and on the

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

– Fremantle leg of the return journey committed suicide by jumping overboard. His daughter had died suddenly while he was away, and it was thought that this news might have been a factor in his own death. Piesse had married been twice, firstly to Margaret Mary Chipper in 1897, with whom he had three children. He was widowed in 1902, and remarried in 1904 to Lille Johnston, with whom he had another two children. One of his sons, Edmund Piesse, became a Country Party senator, but like his father committed suicide while in office.PIESSE, EDMUND STEPHEN ROPER (1900–1952)
The Biographical Dictionary of the Australian Senate (Online Edition). Retrieved 20 September 2016.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Piesse, Arnold 1872 births 1935 deaths Australian politicians who committed suicide Mayors of places in Western Australia Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Western Australia Politicians from Perth, Western Australia Suicides by drowning Western Australian local councillors