Sir James Wallace Sandford (20 March 1879 – 9 July 1958), usually referred to as J. Wallace Sandford and later as simply Wallace Sandford, was a businessman and politician in the State of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

History

Sandford was born in

Footscray, Victoria Footscray is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Maribyrnong local government area. Footscray recorded a population of 17,131 at the . Footscray ...

the eldest son of Scottish-born businessman

Alexander Wallace Sandford Alexander Wallace Sandford (23 April 1849 – 31 December 1905), often written A. Wallace Sandford or Wallace Sandford, was an Australian produce merchant and politician. He was the senior partner in the successful A. W. Sandford & Co. produce bu ...

. They moved to Adelaide in 1880, where the dairy products business of A. W. Sandford & Co. had moved its head office. James was educated at St. Peter's College 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 ...

, then the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

. He joined A. W. Sandford & Co. in 1901; his father died in 1906 and James took over control of the company, which had diversified into an importer of agricultural machinery, in 1911. He was by this time generally referred to as simply "Wallace Sandford".

Politics

In 1931 Wallace Sandford was appointed chairman of a three-man committee (with Professor J. McKellar Stewart and the Director of Education, William J. Adey) to enquiry into the cost of education. The panel recommended severe cost-cutting measures, which included the introduction of school fees, increases in the minimum sizes of country schools, amalgamation of high schools, and entrance examinations to high schools in order to halve enrolments. Adey signed a minority report. In 1938 Sir Wallace, as he had become, was elected as a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

member of the Legislative Council for the Central No.2 district. His politics were influenced by loyalty to the British Empire and the ''

laissez-faire ''Laissez-faire'' ( ; from french: laissez faire , ) is an economic system in which transactions between private groups of people are free from any form of economic interventionism (such as subsidies) deriving from special interest groups. ...

'' belief that capitalists should be relatively free from interference by Government.

Other interests

He was a director on the boards of the Adelaide Cement Co. Ltd,

Sun Insurance The Sun Fire Office, later Sun Insurance, was founded in London in 1710 and developed into a leading international insurance business. In 1959, Sun Insurance merged with Alliance Assurance to form Sun Alliance. History The Eighteenth Century ...

and the

South Australian Gas Company The South Australian Gas Company (later known as SAGASCO) was formed in 1861 twenty-five years after the colony of South Australia was first settled. The establishment of gasworks from 1863 provided not only industry and employment but also stree ...

. He acted as honorary consul in Adelaide for Sweden for 17 years. He was a keen golfer.

Recognition

He was knighted in 1937. He was appointed Knight Commander,

Royal Order of Vasa The Royal Order of Vasa () is a Swedish order of chivalry, awarded to citizens of Sweden for service to state and society especially in the fields of agriculture, mining and commerce. It was instituted on 29 May 1772 by King Gustav III. It was un ...

in 1932.

Family

He married Kate Irene "Kittie" MacLeod on 10 April 1907. They had one daughter, born 21 September 1911 and one son, born 1 May 1916. They had a home at Avenel Gardens

Medindie Medindie (formerly also known as Medindee or Medindi) is an inner northern suburb of Adelaide the capital of South Australia. It is located adjacent to the Adelaide Park Lands, just north of North Adelaide, and is bounded by Robe Terrace to the ...

, then on

East Terrace, Adelaide __NOTOC__ East Terrace marks the eastern edge of the Adelaide city centre. It is one of the main north–south thoroughfares through the east side of the city. Although the terrace essentially runs north–south between North Terrace and South ...

and a summer residence at

Mount Lofty Mount Lofty (, elevation AHD) is the highest point in the southern Mount Lofty Ranges. It is located about east of the Adelaide city centre, within the Cleland National Park in the Adelaide Hills area of South Australia. The mountain's sum ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sandford, James Wallace Australian people of Scottish descent Members of the South Australian Legislative Council 1879 births 1958 deaths Liberal and Country League politicians Businesspeople from Adelaide Politicians from Adelaide 20th-century Australian politicians 20th-century Australian businesspeople