Unidentified participant at the Australasian Federal Convention, 2

James Nixon Brunker (28 April 1832 – 5 June 1910) was an Australian politician, Minister of Lands in the

Parliament of New South Wales The Parliament of New South Wales is a bicameral legislature in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW), consisting of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly (lower house) and the New South Wales Legislative Council (upper house). Eac ...

Early life and business

Brunker was born in

Port Macquarie, New South Wales Port Macquarie is a coastal town in the local government area of Port Macquarie-Hastings. It is located on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, about north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. The town is located on the Tasman Sea co ...

, Australia. He was the son of John Nixon Brunker, a wine and spirit merchant, and his wife Mary Ann, ''née'' McGreavy. He commenced articles as a

solicitor's clerk Articled clerk is a title used in Commonwealth countries for one who is studying to be an accountant or a lawyer. In doing so, they are put under the supervision of someone already in the profession, now usually for two years, but previously three ...

, but did not complete them. In 1851 , moving to Maitland in 1851 where he established a butchery. The same year he married Elizabeth Hewlett Weiss and they would have 10 children. In 1856 he became a stock and station agent, which in 1870 became a partnership with

Henry Badgery Henry Septimus Badgery (9 December 1840 – 23 August 1917) was an Australian politician, elected as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly. Badgery was born at Sutton Forest, New South Wales, and married, in 1869, Julia, dau ...

and J E Wolfe, with branches in Newcastle and Sydney. The partnership dissolved and Brunker retained the Maitland business.

Political career

Brunker was elected one of the inaugural aldermen of the Municipality of East Maitland in 1862. He was an active supporter of

Henry Parkes Sir Henry Parkes, (27 May 1815 – 27 April 1896) was a colonial Australian politician and longest non-consecutive Premier of the Colony of New South Wales, the present-day state of New South Wales in the Commonwealth of Australia. He has ...

, nominating Parkes at the 1863 East Maitland by-election, and organising campaign meetings. His business partner Badgery was elected to represent

East Maitland East Maitland is a suburb in the City of Maitland, New South Wales, Australia. It is on the New England Highway and it has two railway stations, Victoria Street (opened in 1857 with the Newcastle- Maitland line) and East Maitland (opened initi ...

at the 1878 East Maitland by-election. Badgery successfully contested the 1880 election for Monaro and Brunker was elected unopposed to replace him as the member for East Maitland, joining Parkes'

Free Trade Party The Free Trade Party which was officially known as the Australian Free Trade and Liberal Association, also referred to as the Revenue Tariff Party in some states, was an Australian political party, formally organised in 1887 in New South Wales, ...

in 1887. He was re-elected unopposed throughout the 1880s and held the seat until 16 July 1904. East Maitland was abolished as a result of the 1903 re-distribution following the

1903 New South Wales referendum A referendum concerning the reduction of the members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly was put to voters on 16 December 1903, in conjunction with the 1903 federal election. The referendum was conducted on the basis of optional preferen ...

, and Brunker stood as the Liberal Reform Party candidate for the new district of

Maitland Maitland is an English and Scottish surname. It arrived in Britain after the Norman conquest of 1066. There are two theories about its source. It is either a nickname reference to "bad temper/disposition" (Old French, ''Maltalent''; Anglo Norm ...

which had largely absorbed East Maitland and

West Maitland Maitland () is a city in the Lower Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia and the seat of Maitland City Council, situated on the Hunter River approximately by road north of Sydney and north-west of Newcastle. It is on the New England ...

, but was defeated. On 12 June 1905 Brunker 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 ...

and served until his resignation on 26 June 1909. Brunker was appointed Secretary for Lands in the fourth Parkes ministry in August 1888, and again in the

fifth Parkes ministry Fifth is the ordinal form of the number five. Fifth or The Fifth may refer to: * Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as in the expression "pleading the Fifth" * Fifth column, a political term * Fifth disease, a contagious rash that ...

, retiring with his colleagues in October 1891. He was Colonial Secretary in the Reid ministry from 3 August 1894 to 13 September 1899, and acting

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

during Reid's absence in England.

Later life and death

Brunker was bankrupted in 1908 with his occupation listed as auctioneer. He had a lengthy illness prior to his death in

Maitland, New South Wales Maitland () is a city in the Lower Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia and the seat of Maitland City Council, situated on the Hunter River approximately by road north of Sydney and north-west of Newcastle. It is on the New England Hi ...

on , survived by his wife Elizabeth, a daughter, Mary Ann Elizabeth and four sons, James Henry, George William, Arthur Frederick and Ernest Septimus, 34 grand-children and 2 great grand-children. The other five children had predeceased him. Elizabeth died on .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brunker, James Nixon 1832 births 1910 deaths Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Members of the New South Wales Legislative Council