James Swan (1811–1891) was an

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...

and mayor of the

Brisbane Municipal Council The Town of Brisbane was a local government area for Brisbane in Queensland, Australia from 1859 to 1903. History The Municipality of Brisbane was gazetted on 25 May 1859 and proclaimed by the Governor of New South Wales on 7 September 1859 ...

and a

Member of the Queensland Legislative Council Following are lists of members of the Queensland Legislative Council The Queensland Legislative Council was the upper house of the parliament in the Australian state of Queensland. It was a fully nominated body which first took office on 1 May ...

Personal life

James Swan was born in 1811 in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, Scotland, the son of Daniel Swan and Jennet McLaren.Brisbane Courier, Tuesday 2 June 1891, page 5
/ref> His father Daniel Swan was a private in the

Highland Light Infantry The Highland Light Infantry (HLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1881. It took part in the First and Second World Wars, until it was amalgamated with the Royal Scots Fusiliers in 1959 to form the Royal Highland Fusi ...

who was killed in the

Peninsular war The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...

. Jennet McLaren was a deaf mute, who was murdered in front of her son James in August 1823.Australian Dictionary of Biography Online
/ref> James Swan was a devout

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

. In 1831, James married Christina Mackay, daughter of John and Christina Mackay. In 1837, James emigrated from

to Sydney with the Rev Dr

John Dunmore Lang John Dunmore Lang (25 August 1799 – 8 August 1878) was a Scottish-born Australian Presbyterian minister, writer, historian, politician and activist. He was the first prominent advocate of an independent Australian nation and of Australian re ...

. In 1846, James Swan moved to

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

. James's wife Christina died aged 76 years at their home "Burnside" at Swan Hill (now

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

), Brisbane on 27 January 1888 after a lingering illnessQueensland Registrar-General of Births, Deaths & Marriages and was buried in

Toowong Cemetery Toowong Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery on the corner of Frederick Street and Mt Coot-tha Road, Toowong, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was established in 1866 and formally opened in 1875. It is Queensland's largest cemet ...

. James married again on 10 January 1889 to Christina Meikle, daughter of the late Thomas Meikle and Christina McCallum. James Swan died on 26 May 1891 on board the ship ''Jelunga'' while in the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

bound for England. He was travelling with his wife for a 12-month visit. Aged 80 and in poor health when he commenced the trip, many doubted they would see him return, although his health had improved during the voyage. He was buried at sea off

Port Said Port Said ( ar, بورسعيد, Būrsaʿīd, ; grc, Πηλούσιον, Pēlousion) is a city that lies in northeast Egypt extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Suez Canal. With an approximate population of 6 ...

, Egypt but he was memorialised on his first wife's grave in

.Toowong Cemetery Monumental Inscriptions - Queensland Family History Society Inc. James's second wife Christina died on 3 March 1929 aged 71 years. She was buried in

with her mother Christina Meikle (née McCallum).Swan, Christina & Meikle Christina
Brisbane City Council Grave Location Search

Business life

James Swan was apprenticed to the

printing Printing is a process for mass reproducing text and images using a master form or template. The earliest non-paper products involving printing include cylinder seals and objects such as the Cyrus Cylinder and the Cylinders of Nabonidus. The ea ...

trade in

. On arrival in Sydney in 1837, he worked on Rev Dr

's newspaper, "

The Colonialist John Dunmore Lang (25 August 1799 – 8 August 1878) was a Scottish-born Australian Presbyterian minister, writer, historian, politician and activist. He was the first prominent advocate of an independent Australian nation and of Australian re ...

" until it ceased publication in 1841. James then joined the staff of the Sydney Herald, but later left it to take up farming, where he did not do well. In 1846, the "

Moreton Bay Courier Moreton may refer to: People Given name * Moreton John Wheatley (1837–1916), British Army officer and Bailiff of the Royal Parks Surname * Alice Bertha Moreton (1901–1977), English sculptor, draughtsman and artist * Andrew Moreton, a ...

" was founded in

Arthur Sidney Lyon Arthur Sidney Lyon (1817–1861), was a journalist and newspaper proprietor in Queensland, Australia. He was known as "the father of the press in colonial Queensland". He was the founder of the '' Moreton Bay Courier'' (later '' Brisbane Courier'' ...

, who persuaded James Swan to come to Brisbane and work on the newspaper. Lyon had money problems and about 18 months later, James Swan took over the newspaper. Lyon commenced a rival newspaper "Free Press" but James Swan competed vigorously and the "Free Press" had only a short life. In 1859, James sold the "

" to

Thomas Blacket Stephens Thomas Blacket Stephens (5 January 1819 – 26 August 1877) was a wealthy Brisbane businessman and newspaper proprietor who also served as an alderman and mayor of Brisbane Municipal Council,Brisbane City Council Archives a Member of the Legis ...

who renamed it the "

Brisbane Courier ''The Courier-Mail'' is an Australian newspaper published in Brisbane. Owned by News Corp Australia, it is published daily from Monday to Saturday in tabloid format. Its editorial offices are located at Bowen Hills, in Brisbane's inner norther ...

". James Swan was opposed to the use of convict labour in Queensland and to the grabbing of land by squatters. He also campaigned vigorously for the

separation of Queensland The Separation of Queensland was an event in 1859 in which the land that forms the present-day State of Queensland in Australia was excised from the Colony of New South Wales and created as a separate Colony of Queensland. History European sett ...

to become a separate colony from

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 ...

. James Swan owned much real estate in and around Brisbane including two hotels. After providing for his second wife, his will directed that his substantial estate was to be distributed to various charities with the bulk of it going to the

Baptist Church Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

Politics

James Swan was an

of the

from 1872 to 1875 and was mayor from 1873 to 1875.Brisbane City Council Archives He served on the following committees: * Legislative Committee 1873 * Improvement Committee 1873 - 1875 * Cab Inspection Committee 1875 He was a force behind the decision to build the Victoria Bridge, the first bridge over the

Brisbane River The Brisbane River is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia, and flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the river, named it after the Go ...

. James Swan was appointed to the

Legislative Council of Queensland The Queensland Legislative Council was the upper house of the parliament in the Australian state of Queensland. It was a fully nominated body which first took office on 1 May 1860. It was abolished by the Constitution Amendment Act 1921, which to ...

on 18 April 1878. Being a lifetime appointment, he served until his death on 26 May 1891.

References

External links

Brisbane Courier, Tuesday 2 June 1891, page 5
Newspaper report of his death {{DEFAULTSORT:Swan, James Mayors and Lord Mayors of Brisbane Members of the Queensland Legislative Council 1811 births 1891 deaths 19th-century Australian politicians Pre-Separation Queensland Scottish emigrants to Australia

Personal life

Business life

Politics

See also

References

External links