John McEwan Hunter (1863 – 18 April 1940) was a member of the

Queensland Legislative Assembly The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembly h ...

Early life

Hunter was born in 1863 in

Moreton Bay Moreton Bay is a bay located on the eastern coast of Australia from central Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources. The waters of Moreton Bay are a popular destination for recreational anglers and are ...

, off the coast of

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

as his family was migrating from Scotland to Australia. He was the son of Daniel McEwan Hunter and his wife Jane and was educated at

Redbank Redbank may refer to: Places ;In Australia *Redbank, Queensland, a suburb in Ipswich *Redbank, Victoria *Redbanks, South Australia ;In the United States *Redbank Township, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania *Redbank Township, Clarion County, Pennsylv ...

Spring Creek A spring creek is a type of free flowing river whose name derives from its origin: an underground spring or set of springs which produces sufficient water to consistently feed a unique river. The water flowing in a spring creek may additionally b ...

and Clifton State Schools. He was for some years manager of a branch business for McLeish and Company in

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council *Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...

before joining with other members of his family to open a general store in the

Maranoa Region Maranoa Region is a local government area in South West Queensland, Australia. The town of Roma is the administrative headquarters of the region. History The Gunggari language region of South West Queensland includes the landscape within the ...

. On 2 June 1890 Hunter married Ellen Guthrie Moffat (died 1947) in

Toowoomba Toowoomba ( , nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar') is a city in the Toowoomba Region of the Darling Downs, Queensland, Australia. It is west of Queensland's capital city Brisbane by road. The urban population of Toowoomba as of the 2021 ...

and together had one daughter.

Public life

Hunter was an alderman in Roma and was the town's mayor in 1900. At the

1907 Queensland state election Elections were held in the Australian state of Queensland on 18 May 1907 to elect the 72 members of the state's Legislative Assembly. The election was the first one in which women had a right to vote. The election was the first held since Prem ...

he won the seat of Maranoa, defeating the sitting Ministerial member, Thomas Spencer. He went on to hold Maranoa until his resignation in 1919 to take up the role of the Queensland Agent-General in England. During his time in parliament he was the Secretary for Public Lands from 1915 until 1918 and Minister without Office from 1918 until his resignation the next year. He was the chairman of the Queensland Chamber of Agriculture from 1935-1940 and chairman of the Investment and Finance Commission. His interests were business and the affairs of the Presbyterian Church, of which he was a leading member. He was an elder of the Hamilton Presbyterian Church and represented that church in the state assembly. He was also on the church's board of investments and finance. He was a keen bowls player and was a member and official of the Booroodabin bowls club.

Later life

Hunter died at his home in

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

, in April 1940 and was accorded a state funeral which proceeded from

St Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Brisbane St Andrews Uniting Church is a heritage-listed church at 131 Creek Street (corner with Ann Street), Brisbane CBD, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by George David Payne and built in 1905 by Alexander Lind & Son. Ini ...

to the

Mt Thompson Crematorium Mount Thompson Memorial Gardens and Crematorium (formerly Brisbane Crematorium) includes a heritage-listed chapel (the West Chapel), columbaria and other features. It is located on north-western slopes of Mount Thompson in Brisbane, Australia. ...

Legacy

His department store in Roma, Hunter's Emporium, was listed on the

Queensland Heritage Register The Queensland Heritage Register is a heritage register, a statutory list of places in Queensland, Australia that are protected by Queensland legislation, the Queensland Heritage Act 1992. It is maintained by the Queensland Heritage Council. A ...

in 2008.

References

External links