Frederick William Bamford (11 February 184910 September 1934) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the

Australian House of Representatives The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the upper house being the Senate. Its composition and powers are established in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia. The term of members of the ...

from the inaugural 1901 federal election until his retirement in 1925, representing the electorate of

Herbert Herbert may refer to: People Individuals * Herbert (musician), a pseudonym of Matthew Herbert Name * Herbert (given name) * Herbert (surname) Places Antarctica * Herbert Mountains, Coats Land * Herbert Sound, Graham Land Australia * Herbert ...

. He represented the

Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms the f ...

until the 1916 Labor split, when he followed

Billy Hughes William Morris Hughes (25 September 1862 – 28 October 1952) was an Australian politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Australia, in office from 1915 to 1923. He is best known for leading the country during World War I, but ...

into the

National Labor Party The National Labor Party was formed by Australian Prime Minister Billy Hughes in 1916, following the 1916 Labor split on the issue of World War I conscription in Australia. Hughes had taken over as leader of the Australian Labor Party and Pri ...

and served as Minister for Home and Territories in the

second Hughes Ministry The Second Hughes ministry ( National Labor) was the 12th ministry of the Government of Australia. It was led by the country's 7th Prime Minister, Billy Hughes. The Second Hughes ministry succeeded the First Hughes ministry, which dissolved o ...

(1916–1917). He remained in parliament until the age of 76.

Early life

Bamford was born in

Dubbo Dubbo () is a city in the Orana Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre in the Orana region, with a population of 43,516 at June 2021. The city is located at the intersection of the Newell, Mitchell, and Gol ...

, New South Wales and educated at

Toowoomba Toowoomba ( , nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar') is a city in the Toowoomba Region of the Darling Downs, Queensland, Australia. It is west of Queensland's capital city Brisbane by road. The urban population of Toowoomba as of the 2021 C ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

. He left school at 14 and worked as a carpenter around the Toowoomba area for many years. In September 1871 he married Mary Ann Miller. In July 1872, he began a building and carpentry partnership in

Mackay Mackay may refer to: *Clan Mackay, the Scottish clan from which the surname "MacKay" derives Mackay may also refer to: Places Australia * Mackay Region, a local government area ** Mackay, Queensland, a city in the above region *** Mackay Airpor ...

with a colleague from Toowoomba; however, the partnership was dissolved that December after a falling-out, and he thereafter operated a furniture shop in Mackay before being declared bankrupt in April 1884. He worked as a sleeper-inspector on the under-construction Bowen railway and then as inspector of railway bridges in the Cairns area and was discharged from bankruptcy in November 1885. Bamford moved to Bowen 1892 and operated the Sportsmans Arms Hotel there from early 1894, later shifting to the Railway Hotel, which he operated until the time of his election. He also became the local secretary of the licensed victuallers' association. He was elected as a councillor of the Borough of Bowen in 1897 and was elected mayor in 1898. He resigned from the council in July 1899 and thereafter worked as a journalist for a

Townsville Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...

newspaper. He made two unsuccessful candidacies for the

Parliament of Queensland The Parliament of Queensland is the legislature of Queensland, Australia. As provided under the Constitution of Queensland, the Parliament consists of the Monarch of Australia and the Legislative Assembly. It has been the only unicameral s ...

in 1896 and 1899. Portrait of Frederick William Bamford

Federal Parliament

Bamford narrowly won the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

seat of

at the 1901 election as the

candidate, campaigning specifically against the employment of

Kanakas Kanakas were workers (a mix of voluntary and involuntary) from various Pacific Islands employed in British colonies, such as British Columbia (Canada), Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and Queensland (Australia) in the 19t ...

in the North Queensland sugar cane fields. In parliament, he spoke frequently in support of the

White Australia policy The White Australia policy is a term encapsulating a set of historical policies that aimed to forbid people of non-European ethnic origin, especially Asians (primarily Chinese) and Pacific Islanders, from immigrating to Australia, starting i ...

and subsidies and protection for the sugar industry. From 1902 to 1916, he was vice-president of the

Waterside Workers' Federation The Waterside Workers' Federation of Australia (WWF) was an Australian trade union that existed from 1902 to 1993. After a period of negotiations between other Australian maritime unions, it was federated in 1902 and first federally registered ...

while

was its president. He was chairman of the 1913 Royal Commission on the Pearling Industry and the 1915 Royal Commission on New Hebrides mail service. In July 1915, Bamford became the first member to speak in favour of the introduction of

conscription Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...

during World War I. He was expelled from the Labor Party on 30 October 1916 and was Minister for Home and Territories in Hughes'

ministry Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian ...

from 14 November to 17 February 1917. He served as chairman of committees from 1923 to 1925. He retired from parliament at the 1925 election.

Later life

Bamford moved to Sydney, where he died in 1934, survived by three sons and two daughters. He was cremated at Rookwood Crematorium.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bamford, Frederick William Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia Nationalist Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Herbert Members of the Australian House of Representatives Members of the Cabinet of Australia 1849 births 1934 deaths People from North Queensland Mayors of places in Queensland Queensland local councillors Australian cabinetmakers National Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia 20th-century Australian politicians