Sir John Hay (23 June 1816 – 20 January 1892) was a

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 ...

politician.

Life

Hay was born at

Little Ythsie Ythsie is a hamlet in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, about one mile east of Tarves. To the north of the hamlet, on the Hill of Ythsie, is a tower called the Prop of Ythsie. It was built in 1861-1862 to commemorate George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of ...

, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, the son of John Hay (a farmer) and his wife Jean, ''née'' Mair. Hay graduated

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

at King's College (now part of the

University of Aberdeen , mottoeng = The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom , established = , type = Public research universityAncient university , endowment = £58.4 million (2021) , budget ...

), in 1834, and then studied law at

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

, but did not finish it. In 1838 Hay married Mary Chalmers and they travelled to Sydney on the ''Amelia Thompson'', arriving on 1 July and settled at ' Welaregang' station on the Upper Murray. Hay was a strong opponent of tariffs on trade between

and

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 was elected in April 1856 as the member for Murrumbidgee in the first Legislative Assembly. He took up residence in Sydney but continued to maintain his Murrumbidgee runs. In September, he moved a vote of no-confidence in the Cowper ministry, which brought the government down. Hay recommended to governor

William Denison Sir William Thomas Denison (3 May 1804 – 19 January 1871) was Lieutenant Governor of Van Diemen's Land from 1847 to 1855, Governor of New South Wales from 1855 to 1861, and Governor of Madras from 1861 to 1866. According to Percival S ...

that Henry W. Parker should be asked to form a

coalition ministry A coalition government is a form of government in which political parties cooperate to form a government. The usual reason for such an arrangement is that no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an election, an atypical outcome in ...

in which Hay was Secretary for Lands and Works. This ministry was defeated in September 1857 and Hay did not again hold office. He was elected as the member for the new seat of Murray at the 1859 election, and strongly opposed John Robertson's land bills and sought to protect the interests of

squatters Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there ...

. In the December 1860 elections, fought on the issue, he was one a few opponents of Robertson elected. In June 1860, Hay moved that negotiations should be opened up with

for the purpose of establishing a uniformity of customs duties. This would have been a valuable step towards a federation system, but his motion was defeated. On 14 October 1862, Hay was unanimously elected

Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Speaker of the Legislative Assembly is a title commonly held by Speaker (politics), presiding officers of parliamentary bodies styled Legislative Assembly, legislative assemblies. The office is most widely used in state and territorial legislatures ...

and carried out his duties impartially. Hay successfully contested the seat Central Cumberland at the 1864 election, near Sydney to make clear his opposition to the making of the

Riverina The Riverina is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales, Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation ...

into a separate colony. In October 1865, finding his health had been affected, he resigned as speaker. In June 1867 he resigned from the Legislative Assembly and was appointed to the Legislative Council. In July 1873 was appointed its

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

on the recommendation of

Sir 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 be ...

, and held this position until his death. Hay was created a K.C.M.G. in 1878. John Hay died on in the Sydney suburb of Rose Bay, survived by his wife for ten days. They had no children. Hay was not a party man but he had knowledge and wisdom, and though he originated little he was a good speaker and debater who had no little influence on the legislation of his time. Hay carried out his duties as speaker of the assembly and president of the council with great ability.

Legacy

The township of

Hay Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticat ...

on the lower Murrumbidgee River was named after John Hay.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hay, John 1816 births 1892 deaths Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Members of the New South Wales Legislative Council Scottish emigrants to colonial Australia Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Alumni of the University of Aberdeen Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Presidents of the New South Wales Legislative Council 19th-century Australian politicians