Francis Abigail (16 January 184023 July 1921) was politician and manufacturer from
New South Wales
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, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
, Australia.
Early life
Francis Abigail was the son of Hannah Coney and William Abigail. In 1860, he immigrated to
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
and was married the following year.
Politics and public service
He served as a
Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for
West Sydney from 1880 to June 1891. He served as
Secretary for Mines
The position of Secretary for Mines is a now defunct office in the United Kingdom Government, associated with the Board of Trade.
In 1929, the department took over responsibility for petroleum.
In 1940, the department was divided with Geoffrey ...
in the
fourth ministry of Sir
Henry Parkes
Sir Henry Parkes, (27 May 1815 – 27 April 1896) was a colonial Australian politician and longest non-consecutive Premier of the Colony of New South Wales, the present-day state of New South Wales in the Commonwealth of Australia. He has ...
from 20 January 1887 to 10 January 1889.
He was a
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...
for the colonies of New South Wales and
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 ...
.
Abigail was a member of the New South Wales Commission for the Melbourne Centennial Exhibition of 1888. In 1890, he was a member of the Exhibition of Mining and Metallurgy, held at the
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...
. That same year, he visited England and the various
Orange
Orange most often refers to:
*Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis''
** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower
*Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum
* ...
bodies in England and the north of Ireland. While in London, he gave evidence before the Royal Commission on Mines.
Criminal conviction
In July 1887 he was elected to the board of the Australian Banking Co, subsequently becoming chairman of directors and the company was placed in liquidation on 10 November 1891. In October 1892 he was charged, along with 6 others, with falsely representing the affairs of the bank, and was found not guilty.
[ He was then charged with conspiring with the manager, Roderick McNamara, to issue a false balance sheet, with fraudulent intent. They were convicted and Abigail was sentenced to imprisonment for 5 years while McNamara was sentenced to 7 years. He was released from prison in June 1895 after serving 2 years 6 months and 29 days.
]
Later life
He attempted to return to politics, standing as an independent candidate at the 1901 NSW Senate election, but polled 7,164 votes. well short of the 70,000 needed for election.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abigail, Francis
1840 births
1921 deaths
Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
Politicians from London
Australian justices of the peace
British emigrants to the Colony of New South Wales
Australian politicians convicted of crimes