Charles Crowther Maley (28 August 1876 – 15 October 1929) was an Australian businessman, farmer, and politician. who was a Country 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 1921 until his death, representing the seat of Irwin.

Early life

Maley was born in

Greenough, Western Australia Greenough is a historical settlement situated in a floodplain (the Greenough Flats) 400 kilometres north of Perth, Western Australia and 24 kilometres south of Geraldton on the Brand Highway. The settlement's historical buildings are mostly ...

, to Elizabeth (née Waldeck) and John Stephen Maley.Charles Crowther Maley
Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 4 January 2017. He was named after

Charles Crowther Charles Crowther (1831 – 17 March 1894) was a member of the Western Australian Legislative Council from 1873 to 1887. Born in Lincoln, England, in 1834, nothing is known of his ancestry or early life. In December 1850 he arrived in Western ...

, a local MP and friend of his father. Maley was sent to school in

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 ...

, and then returned to Greenough to manage his father's farm. During the

gold rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, New Z ...

, he moved to Lawlers (a remote mining town), where at various times he owned a hotel, managed a brewery, and served a term on the local road board."Charlie" Charles Crowther MALEY
Biographical Dictionary of Coorow, Carnamah and Three Springs. Retrieved 4 January 2017. In 1907, Maley and his brothers took up land at Three Springs, which had only just been opened to settlement. He moved there permanently in 1911, and subsequently bought out his brothers' shares in the property. Maley served several terms on the Upper Irwin Road Board (known as the Mingenew Road Board from 1919), and was also involved in the establishment of the North Midlands Football Association, donating a cup for its inaugural season in 1921.

Politics and later life

At the 1921 state election, Maley ran successfully for the Country Party in the seat of Irwin. His younger brother,

Henry Maley Henry Kennedy Maley (17 June 1878 – 26 February 1956) was an Australian politician who was a Country Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1917 to 1924 and again from 1929 to 1930. He was the state leader of the ...

, had won the seat of Greenough at the 1917 election, and served as the Country Party's leader from 1922 to 1923.Henry Kennedy Maley
Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 4 January 2017. The Country Party split into two opposing factions in 1923, and both brothers joined the Ministerialist faction, which supported the government of James Mitchell. Charles and several other ex-Country MPs joined the Nationalist Party after the 1924 state election, but his brother was defeated. Maley was re-elected as a Nationalist in 1927, but in March 1929 rejoined the Country Party. He died at his residence in West Perth in October 1929, after a brief illness."DEATH OF MR. C. C. MALEY"
''The West Australian'', 16 October 1929. The by-election occasioned by his death was won by his brother, who held it for less than a year before losing it at the 1930 state election. Maley had married Sarah Teresa McKeefrey (née O'Toole) in 1909. They had no children together, and separated in 1927 after he was caught in bed with a barmaid. They never formally divorced, although she received half of their assets in a settlement.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maley, Charles 1876 births 1929 deaths Australian farmers Australian hoteliers Australian people of German descent Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Western Australia Nationalist Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Western Australia People from the Mid West (Western Australia)

Early life

Politics and later life

See also

References