Arthur James Diamond (c. 1844 – 22 June 1906) was an Australian businessman and politician who was 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 1901 until his death, representing the seat of South Fremantle. Diamond was born in

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...

, Ireland. He came to Australia in 1867, initially living in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

and then going to

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

.Arthur James Diamond
– Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 5 June 2016. Diamond settled in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

, where he developed broad commercial interests, including the manufacture of jewellery. In 1878, he helped to found the

Norwood Football Club Norwood Football Club, nicknamed the Redlegs, is an Australian rules football club competing in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) in the state of South Australia. Its home ground is Coopers Stadium (Norwood Oval), which is ...

, an

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

club, subsequently serving as club secretary and treasurer. In 1883, Diamond served as president of the South Australian Football Association. Diamond moved to

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

, Western Australia, in 1886, and maintained his link with football, becoming president of the

Fremantle Football Club The Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed the Dockers, is a professional Australian rules football club competing in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. The team was founded in 1994 to represent the port city of ...

in 1890. He was also vice-president of the West Australian Football Association in 1896. In Fremantle, Diamond's business interests focused on his customs and shipping agency, but he also branched out into the wholesale liquor trade. A former president of the Fremantle Lumpers Union, he stood for the seat of Fremantle at the 1894 general election and the 1896 by-election, but was defeated both times (by William Marmion and

John Higham John Higham is the name of * John Higham (Australian politician) (1856–1927), Western Australian Legislative Assembly Member * John Higham (historian) (1920–2003), American historian * John Sharp Higham John Sharp Higham (14 June 1857 – 5 ...

, respectively). Diamond was eventually elected to parliament at the 1901 general election, replacing the retiring

Elias Solomon Elias Solomon (2 September 1839 – 23 May 1909) was an Australian politician based in Fremantle. He was Mayor of Fremantle, MLA for South Fremantle, and the first Member for Fremantle in the Australian House of Representatives. Early life ...

as the member for South Fremantle. He initially sat in parliament as an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

, but in 1904 joined the Ministerialist faction, which had future

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 ...

Hector Rason Sir Cornthwaite Hector William James Rason (18 June 1858 – 15 March 1927), better known as Hector Rason, was the seventh Premier of Western Australia. Early life Rason was born in Cleeve, Somerset, in England on 18 June 1858. He was the son ...

as its leader. Diamond was re-elected at the 1904 and 1905 elections. However, in April 1906, he suffered a paralytic stroke and cerebral haemorrhage, which led to his death two months later."MR. A. J. DIAMOND."
'' The Western Mail'', 30 June 1906. Diamond had married Ellen Louisa Goldeney in 1868, with whom he had three sons and a daughter.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Diamond, Arthur 1840s births 1924 deaths Australian trade unionists Irish emigrants to colonial Australia Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly Norwood Football Club administrators South Australian National Football League administrators West Australian Football League administrators Businesspeople from Adelaide 19th-century Australian politicians 20th-century Australian politicians Businesspeople from Derry (city)