Frederick James Withers (11 April 1881 – 20 May 1963) was an Australian politician who was a Labor 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 1924 to 1947, representing the seat of Bunbury. He was later

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

of the

City of Bunbury The City of Bunbury is a local government area in the South West region of Western Australia, covering an area of along the coast about south of Perth, the capital of Western Australia. The City of Bunbury is one of four local governments comp ...

from 1951 to 1955. Withers was born in Bunbury to Esther (née Blythe) and Edward Henry Withers. After leaving school, he worked with

Western Australian Government Railways Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) was the operator of railway services in the state of Western Australia between October 1890 and June 2003. Owned by the state government, it was renamed a number of times to reflect extra responsi ...

, as a

fireman A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also ...

and later as an engine driver.Frederick James Withers
– Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 23 May 2016. An official of the Engine Drivers' Union and a long-time member of the Labor Party, Withers was elected to parliament at the 1924 state election, defeating the sitting

Nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Th ...

member, Griffin Money. After Labor's victory at the 1933 election, he was appointed deputy chairman of committees in the government of

Philip Collier Philip Collier (21 April 1873 – 18 October 1948) was an Australian politician who served as the 14th Premier of Western Australia from 1924 to 1930 and from 1933 to 1936. He was leader of the Labor Party from 1917 to 1936, and is Western Au ...

, a position which he retained until his retirement at the 1947 election. In 1950, Withers attempted to return to parliament through the Legislative Council, but was defeated by the sitting

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

member,

Les Craig Leslie "Les" Craig CMG (23 November 1892 – 9 February 1966) was an Australian politician who was a member of the Legislative Council of Western Australia from 1934 to 1956, representing South-West Province. Craig was born in York, a town i ...

. He was elected mayor of Bunbury the following year, and served until 1955. Withers died in Bunbury in 1963, aged 82. The Bunbury suburb of

Withers The withers is the ridge between the shoulder blades of an animal, typically a quadruped. In many species, it is the tallest point of the body. In horses and dogs, it is the standard place to measure the animal's height. In contrast, cattle a ...

is named after him. His son,

Reg Withers Reginald Greive Withers (26 October 1924 – 15 November 2014) was a long-serving member of the Australian Senate, a government minister, and Lord Mayor of Perth. Early life Withers was born in Bunbury, Western Australia. Withers was the son o ...

, was a senator and Lord Mayor of Perth.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Withers, Frederick 1881 births 1963 deaths Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Western Australia Australian people in rail transport Mayors of Bunbury, Western Australia Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly People from Bunbury, Western Australia Trade unionists from Western Australia 20th-century Australian politicians