Sir Herbert Angas Parsons, KBE, KC (23 May 1872 – 2 November 1945), generally known as Sir Angas Parsons, was a

Cornish Australian Cornish Australians ( kw, Ostralians kernewek) are citizens of Australia who are fully or partially of Cornish heritage or descent, an ethnic group native to Cornwall in the United Kingdom. Cornish Australians form part of the worldwide Corni ...

lawyer, politician and judge.

Early life and education

Parsons was born in

North Adelaide North Adelaide is a predominantly residential precinct and suburb of the City of Adelaide in South Australia, situated north of the River Torrens and within the Adelaide Park Lands. History Surveyor-General Colonel William Light of the colo ...

on 23 May 1872, the only son of Cornish born minister and politician

John Langdon Parsons John Langdon Parsons (28 April 1837 – 21 August 1903), generally referred to as "J. Langdon Parsons", was a Cornish Australian minister of the Baptist church, politician, and the 5th Government Resident of the Northern Territory, 1884–1890 ...

(1837–1903) and his first wife Rose. He was educated at

Prince Alfred College , motto_translation = Do Brave Deeds and Endure , established = 1869 , type = Independent, single-sex, day & boarding , headmaster = David Roberts , chaplain = Reverend ...

and

Roseworthy Agricultural College Roseworthy Agricultural College was an agricultural college in Australia. It was north of Adelaide and west of Roseworthy town. It was the first agricultural college in Australia, established in 1883. It is now part of the University of Adela ...

before spending three years following "pastoral and financial pursuits". He then studied law at the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

, serving his articles with George Ash and graduating in March 1897, aged 24.

Career

He was admitted to the Bar later in 1897. He joined with

Patrick McMahon Glynn Patrick McMahon Glynn KC (25 August 1855 – 28 October 1931) was an Irish-Australian lawyer and politician. He served in the House of Representatives from 1901 to 1919, and was a government minister under three prime ministers, as Attorney-Gen ...

, KC. in partnership in 1898; they were joined in October 1908 by George McEwin and subsequently by (later Sir)

Mellis Napier Sir Thomas John Mellis Napier (24 October 1882 – 22 March 1976) was an Australian judge and academic administrator. He was a judge of the Supreme Court of South Australia between 28 February 1924 and 28 February 1967, Chief Justice of South ...

. In 1912 he stood for parliament and was elected member of the

South Australian House of Assembly The House of Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. The other is the Legislative Council. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Adelaide. Overview The House of Assembly was creat ...

for Torrens (1912-1915), and subsequently member for

Murray Murray may refer to: Businesses * Murray (bicycle company), an American manufacturer of low-cost bicycles * Murrays, an Australian bus company * Murray International Trust, a Scottish investment trust * D. & W. Murray Limited, an Australian who ...

. It was around June of this year that he became universally referred to as "Angas Parsons". He was briefly

Attorney-General of South Australia The attorney-general of South Australia is the Cabinet minister in the Government of South Australia who is responsible for that state's system of law and justice. The attorney-general must be a qualified legal practitioner, although this wa ...

and minister of education in 1915. Parsons was appointed

King's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel ( post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister or ...

in 1916, a judge of the Supreme Court in 1921, senior puisne judge in 1927, and acting chief justice in 1935. On occasions, Parsons acted as deputy governor and, after his father's death, in 1904 he became consul for Japan.

Service and recognition

Like his father-in-law, he became president of the Cornish Association of South Australia. He was also warden of the University of Adelaide's senate, and vice-chancellor from 1942 to 1944. He was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in 1936, and appointed

Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(KBE) in 1945. He retired in 1945 and, having "spent many hours at the

Adelaide Club The Adelaide Club is an exclusive gentlemen's club situated on North Terrace in the South Australian capital city of Adelaide. Founded in 1863, the club comprises members of the Adelaide Establishment. South Australian Club (1838–1843) An ea ...

, preferring its convivial atmosphere to his wife's Methodism".

Personal life

On 18 April 1900, Parsons married Mary Elsie Bonython (1874–1956), eldest surviving child of Sir

John Langdon Bonython Sir John Langdon Bonython (;Charles Earle Funk, ''What's the Name, Please?'' (Funk & Wagnalls, 1936). 15 October 184822 October 1939) was an Australian editor, newspaper proprietor, philanthropist, journalist and politician who served a ...

and his wife Mary Louisa Fredericka née Balthasar. They had two sons. Mary Elsie Parsons served with distinction as

Mayoress 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 a ...

at official functions for her widowed brother Sir

John Lavington Bonython Sir John Lavington Bonython (10 September 1875 – 6 November 1960) was a prominent public figure in Adelaide, known for his work in journalism, business and politics. In association with his father, he became involved in the management of n ...

in 1911 and 1912. Parsons died of

cirrhosis Cirrhosis, also known as liver cirrhosis or hepatic cirrhosis, and end-stage liver disease, is the impaired liver function caused by the formation of scar tissue known as fibrosis due to damage caused by liver disease. Damage causes tissue repai ...

on 2 November 1945. Survived by Lady Parsons and their two sons Philip Brendon Angas Parsons (1905– ) and Geoffrey Bonython Parsons (1908– ), he was buried with his parents in

North Road Cemetery North Road Cemetery is located in the Adelaide suburb of Nailsworth, approximately 5 km north of the central business district. It is 7.3 hectares (18 acres) in size and there have been over 26,000 burials since its foundation in 1853. Th ...

Gallery

File:Herbert Parsons-1887-B7723 257.jpg, Parsons dressed as the King of Spades for the Adelaide Mayoral Children's Fancy Dress Ball, 1887 File:Elsie Bonython 13yrs 1887-B7723 41.jpg, Elsie dressed as a Norwegian fishgirl, 1887 File:Elsie Bonython Bridesmaids-18 April 1900-B30390.jpg, Elsie's bridesmaids - 18 April 1900; left to right: Elsie Parsons (half sister of bridegroom); Ada & Edith Bonython (sisters of the bride); Winifred Bonython (cousin of the bride) File:Mr.andMrs.AngasParsons-1912-PRG280 1 11 530.jpg, Herbert, Elsie, & friend, Garden party at Government House, 1912 File:Herbert Parsons et al-1917-PRG280 1 9 181.jpg, 1917 - Members of an Observation School Committee; Angas Parsons sitting front row, second from left. File:Herbert Parsons-1920-B4060.jpg, 1920 File:Herbert Parsons-1921-B16421.jpg, 1921 File:Lady Weigall-1921-PRG280 1 23 54.jpg, 1921 - Lady Weigall, wife of the Governor of South Australia, accompanied by her daughter Priscilla greeting Sir George Murray, Lieutenant Governor and Justice Angas Parsons at a garden party held in the grounds of Government House, Adelaide.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parsons, Herbert Angas 1872 births 1945 deaths Australian Knights Bachelor Australian Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Australian politicians awarded knighthoods Attorneys-General of South Australia Members of the South Australian House of Assembly Judges of the Supreme Court of South Australia 20th-century Australian judges Australian King's Counsel Lawyers from Adelaide Vice-Chancellors of the University of Adelaide Australian people of Cornish descent Bonython family People educated at Prince Alfred College Adelaide Law School alumni Adelaide Club Deaths from cirrhosis Burials at North Road Cemetery