Hugh Langwell (1860 – 15 May 1933) was an Irish-born politician, trade unionist and public servant in New South Wales, Australia. He was a member of 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 ...

, Legislative Council, Amalgamated Shearers Union, Western Lands Board and Lord Howe Island Board of Control.

Early life

Langwell was born in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

to farmer Hugh Langwell and Matilda McCully. While he was very young the family moved to

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 ...

and he was educated at

Warrnambool Warrnambool ( Maar: ''Peetoop'' or ''Wheringkernitch'' or ''Warrnambool'') is a city on the south-western coast of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 census, Warrnambool had a population of 35,743. Situated on the Princes Highway, Warrnambool (Al ...

. He moved to

New South Wales ) , 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 ...

in 1880, becoming a stationworker and shearer. Around 1892 he married Sarah Jane Brooks, with whom he had eight children. He settled in Bourke, where he owned a small newsagency, tobacconist and barber shop.

Legislative Assembly

In 1891 he was the chairman and executive officer of the Bourke branch of the Amalgamated Shearers Union, and was unanimously endorsed as a candidate for the

for Bourke by the Bourke Labor Electoral League, where was the first of 3 members elected. He was not however endorsed by the new

Parliamentary Labour Party In UK politics, the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) is the parliamentary group of the Labour Party in Parliament, i.e. Labour MPs as a collective body. Commentators on the British Constitution sometimes draw a distinction between the Labour P ...

, as the Bourke Labor Electoral League had modified the official Labour platform and he did not join the Labour caucus, sitting as an Labour member. After taking his seat in the assembly, the first vote was that the Assembly had no confidence in the Parkes government. Labour had decided to support the Parkes government in return for concessions, however Langwell voted with the opposition, later stating that he had done so because he had been elected after campaigning in opposition to the government. Otherwise he generally voted with the Labour party. Multi-member constituencies were abolished in 1894 and Bourke was reduced from 3 members to 1. There was some doubt as to his party status at the 1894 election, with the Wagga Wagga Worker listing him as a Labor candidate, while the Brisbane Worker listed him as a modified pledge Labor candidate.

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

did not include him in its list of endorsed Labor candidates, and

Antony Green Antony John Green (born 2 March 1960) is an Australian psephologist and commentator. He is the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's chief election analyst. Early years and background Born in Warrington, Lancashire, in northern England, Gree ...

lists him as an Independent Labour candidate. He was defeated at the election in 1894, and did not stand for the Legislative Assembly again.

Legislative Council and later life

In 1900 he was appointed to the

New South Wales Legislative Council The New South Wales Legislative Council, often referred to as the upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of the Australian state of New South Wales. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in th ...

by the protectionist Lyne government, but he resigned early in 1902, after his controversial appointment as Commissioner of the Western Lands Board by the See government on a salary of £1,000 per year. In 1912 he was appointed to inquire into the palm seed industry of

Lord Howe Island Lord Howe Island (; formerly Lord Howe's Island) is an irregularly crescent-shaped volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, part of the Australian state of New South Wales. It lies directly east of mainland P ...

. The Government, not being prepared to accept his report sent Walter Bevan to further investigate the position on the island, only to get what were essentially the same recommendations. Subsequently, he was appointed a member of the Lord Howe Island Board of Control which was responsible for administering the affairs of the island. He was Chief Commissioner and Chairman of the Western Lands Board from 1922. In 1931 the Lang government appointed a Royal Commission to inquire into the administration of the Western Lands Division, including whether the commissioners were guilty of misbehaviour or incompetence. The commissioner, Ernest Arthur Prior, found that they had been negligent and incompetent, and they were dismissed on the advice of cabinet.

Death

Langwell died in Bondi on .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Langwell, Hugh 1860 births 1933 deaths Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Independent members of the Parliament of New South Wales Colony of New South Wales people British emigrants to colonial Australia