John Maxwell Ferguson (28 April 1841 – 2 August 1924) was an Australian businessman, politician, and philanthropist. He had business interests in several different industries in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

, and was prominent in the state's

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

community. Ferguson served in the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1903 to 1904, representing the seat of North Fremantle.

Early life

Ferguson was born in Dundee, Scotland, to Isabella (née Maxwell) and John Ferguson. His family moved to Western Australia when he was an infant, where his father, a physician, was appointed colonial surgeon (the colony's chief medical officer). Ferguson was initially educated at Bishop Hale's School, and then sent back to Scotland to attend the

High School of Dundee The High School of Dundee is an independent, co-educational, day school in Dundee, Scotland, which provides nursery, primary and secondary education to just over one thousand pupils. Its foundation has been dated to 1239, and it is the only priv ...

. After leaving school, he joined the Merchant Navy, eventually becoming captain of his own ship. In 1867, Ferguson returned to Western Australia, settling in Fremantle.John Maxwell Ferguson
– Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 16 May 2016. There, he acquired the schooner ''Airlie'', which he used to trade with Singapore and China.

Business career

In 1871, Ferguson acquired the lease of the Stanley Brewery. The following year, he went into partnership with William Mumme, a German expatriate with previous experience in the brewing trade. In 1874, the firm of Ferguson and Mumme acquired the Swan Brewery, which they relocated to the site of a freshwater spring at the foot of Mount Eliza. Ferguson sold his share in the brewery in 1886, and went into business as a general merchant in Fremantle, partnering with

William Dalgety Moore William Dalgety Moore (30 August 1835 – 22 April 1910) was a businessman in Fremantle, Western Australia, and also a pastoralist and politician. Early life Moore was born in the Swan River Colony in 1835, the eldest child of Samuel Moore an ...

. He established his own hardware business in 1889, and over the following years acquired interests in a number of saw mills in the

South West The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...

Politics and later life

Ferguson entered politics in 1903, winning that year's North Fremantle state by-election, which had been caused by the resignation of

Denis Doherty Denis Joseph Doherty (1861 – 23 October 1935) was an Australian businessman, pastoralist and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1897 to 1903, representing the seat of North Fremantle. D ...

, the member for North Fremantle. His time in parliament was short-lived, however, as he was defeated by the

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

candidate,

Harry Bolton Harry Edward Bolton (24 December 1870 – 18 August 1956) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 1904 to 1917, as the member for North Fremantle until 1911 and for South Fremantle the ...

. Ferguson remained involved in public life for some time, and was prominent in Perth's

community. He financed a relocation of Scotch College in 1904, and in 1915 was involved in the establishment of Presbyterian Ladies' College.John Maxwell Ferguson Fund
– Scotch College. Retrieved 16 May 2016. He eventually retired to

Mount Lawley Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains, e.g. Mount Everest. Mount or Mounts may also refer to: Places * Mount, Cornwall, a village in Warleggan parish, England * Mount, Perranzabuloe, a hamlet in Perranzabuloe parish, C ...

, where he died in 1924, aged 83. Ferguson's nephew, Percy Douglas Ferguson, was also a member of parliament.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferguson, John 1841 births 1924 deaths Australian brewers Australian Presbyterians British Merchant Navy officers Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly People from Dundee People educated at Hale School People educated at the High School of Dundee Scottish emigrants to colonial Australia Settlers of Western Australia Politicians from Dundee