Hugh McKernan (c. 1858 – 13 March 1929) was an Australian businessman, newspaper proprietor, and politician who was a member of the Legislative Council of Western Australia from 1894 to 1896. McKernan was born in Ireland, and at a young age became a member of the Royal Irish Constabulary. His job was to infiltrate nationalist gatherings and report on any speeches given. McKernan left Ireland for Australia in 1882, initially living in New South Wales. He came to Western Australia in 1889, attracted by the economic prospects of the

Yilgarn The Yilgarn Craton is a large craton that constitutes the bulk of the Western Australian land mass. It is bounded by a mixture of sedimentary basins and Proterozoic fold and thrust belts. Zircon grains in the Jack Hills, Narryer Terrane have bee ...

gold rush, and set up in Perth as an auctioneer and agent for interstate and overseas companies. He eventually became the proprietor of the '' Geraldton Express'', a newspaper in the

Mid West The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...

. McKernan was elected to parliament at the 1894 Legislative Council elections, which were the first to be held after the advent of

responsible government Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability, the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy. Governments (the equivalent of the executive bran ...

in 1890. He polled the third-highest number of votes in Central Province, and hence was only elected to a two-year term. In the same year, McKernan was also elected to the Perth City Council. At the 1896 election, McKernan was defeated in Central Province by Richard Septimus Haynes. He recontested the seat at an 1898 by-election, caused by the resignation of Edward Wittenoom, but lost to William Loton.Hugh McKernan
– Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 14 Jun 2016. McKernan later stood for the Legislative Assembly at the 1901 state election, but lost to

Mathieson Jacoby Mathieson Harry Jacoby (1 July 1869 – 3 April 1915) was an Australian politician who twice represented the seat of Swan in the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia, from 1901 to 1905 and then again from 1908 to 1911. He was Speaker of t ...

in the seat of Swan. In September 1907, he was arrested and charged with threatening to kill Richard Haynes (his opponent in the 1896 Central Province election), with whom he had a long-running feud. The charges were not proceeded with, on the grounds of temporary insanity."CASE OF HUGH MCKERNAN."
'' Kalgoorlie Miner'', 10 October 1907. McKernan made one final run for parliament at the 1908 state election, losing to John Hardwick in the seat of East Perth. He died in Perth in 1929, having never married.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McKernan, Hugh 1850s births 1929 deaths Australian newspaper proprietors Irish emigrants to colonial Australia Members of the Western Australian Legislative Council Perth City Councillors