Henry Douglas Morton (19 October 1867 – 3 June 1932), often referred to as "Harry" or Harry D. Morton, was an Australian politician.

Career

Born at Numbaa near

Nowra Nowra is a city in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. It is located south-southwest of the state capital of Sydney (about as the crow flies). As of the 2021 census, Nowra has an estimated population of 22,584. Situated in th ...

to surveyor Henry Gordon Morton and Jane Fairles (his brothers

Philip Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...

and

Mark Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Fi ...

were also New South Wales politicians), he attended Numbaa Public School and then Hurstville College at

Goulburn Goulburn ( ) is a regional city in the Southern Tablelands of the Australian state of New South Wales, approximately south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Canberra. It was proclaimed as Australia's first inland city through letters pate ...

before becoming a bank teller at the

Commercial Banking Company of Sydney The Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited, also known as the CBC, or CBC Bank, was a bank based in Sydney, Australia. It was established in 1834, and in 1982 merged with the National Bank of Australasia to form National Australia Bank. Hi ...

. He married Maude Lillias Dangar, with whom he had two children. After a period farming on the

Macleay River The Macleay River is a river that spans the Northern Tablelands and Mid North Coast districts of New South Wales, Australia. Course and features Formed by the confluence of the Gara River, Salisbury Waters and Bakers Creek, the Macleay River r ...

he joined his father in managing the Berry Estate on the

Shoalhaven River The Shoalhaven River is a perennial river that rises from the Southern Tablelands and flows into an open mature wave dominated barrier estuary near Nowra on the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia. Location and features The Shoalhaven ...

around 1893. From 1896 to 1899 he was a 2nd lieutenant with the New South Wales Lancers. In 1910 he was elected to the

New South Wales Legislative Assembly The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wales Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament Ho ...

as the

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

member for Hastings and Macleay. He was Speaker of the Assembly from July to December 1913, completing the final months of

Henry Willis Henry Willis (27 April 1821 – 11 February 1901), also known as "Father" Willis, was an English organ player and builder, who is regarded as the foremost organ builder of the Victorian era. His company Henry Willis & Sons remains in busin ...

's controversial term. When the Nationalist Party was formed in 1917, Morton was one of those to join it. He left the Assembly in 1920 and died in 1932 in

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 ...

. Morton was a lover of horses, especially jumpers: his Desmond was a famous high jumper. He was cremated at Rookwood Crematorium, Sydney on Saturday 4 June 1932.Sydney Morning Herald. Death and Funeral Notice 4 June 1932

References

1867 births 1932 deaths Australian people of Scottish descent Australian businesspeople Politicians from Sydney Australian Army officers Independent members of the Parliament of New South Wales Nationalist Party of Australia members of the Parliament of New South Wales Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Speakers of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly {{Australia-Nationalist-politician-stub