Edmund Lonsdale (31 October 1843 – 4 October 1913) was an Australian politician. Born in

Morpeth, New South Wales Morpeth is a suburb of the city of Maitland in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is on the southern banks of the Hunter River at the border between the City of Maitland and Port Stephens Council LGAs. The major population cen ...

, he was schooled in

Maitland Maitland is an English and Scottish surname. It arrived in Britain after the Norman conquest of 1066. There are two theories about its source. It is either a nickname reference to "bad temper/disposition" (Old French, ''Maltalent''; Anglo Norm ...

before becoming a bricklayer, builder and contractor. He was also an alderman on Armidale Shire Council. At the 1891 election he stood as a

Free Trade Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. It can also be understood as the free market idea applied to international trade. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold econ ...

candidate for

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...

and was the third of three members elected. Multi-member electorates were abolished for the 1894 election and Lonsdale was the Free Trade candidate for

Armidale Armidale is a city in the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. Armidale had a population of 24,504 as of June 2018. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. It is the administrative centre for the Northern Tablelands region. I ...

, however he was unsuccessful. He stood again at the

and was elected with 50.4% of the vote. He only held the seat for one term, defeated by Charles Wilson at the 1898 election , with 43.7% of the vote. Lonsdale was unsuccessful at the 1901 federal election for the seat of

, but then returned to the Legislative Assembly, defeating Wilson at the 1901 state election, with 50.8% of the vote. He resigned in 1903 to successfully contest New England at the 1903 federal election. He only held the seat for one term, defeated at the 1906 federal election Lonsdale again then returned to the Legislative Assembly at the 1907 state election, with 52.0% of the vote, holding the seat at the 1910 state election, with 51.3% of the vote, Wilson died in office in 1913 aged 69.

References

Free Trade Party members of the Parliament of Australia Commonwealth Liberal Party politicians Members of the Australian House of Representatives for New England Members of the Australian House of Representatives Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly 1843 births 1913 deaths People from Maitland, New South Wales Australian builders 20th-century Australian politicians {{Australia-FreeTrade-politician-stub