Joseph Creer (1 February 183217 August 1913) was a Manx-born Australian politician and cabinetmaker.

Early life

He was born on the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

to farmer Patrick Creer and Ann Quirk. He married Annie Harrison at

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

in 1854; they had nine children. In 1855 he migrated to

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 ...

, settling in

Maitland Maitland is an English and Scottish surname. It arrived in Britain after the Norman conquest of 1066. There are two theories about its source. It is either a nickname reference to "bad temper/disposition" (Old French, ''Maltalent''; Anglo Norm ...

, where he worked as a builder and broom manufacturer. He left Maitland due to flooding and moved to

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

in 1870, working as a cabinet maker, until his business was destroyed by fire. He then established a successful business as an auctioneer. He was a prominent member of the

temperance movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting temperance or complete abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and its leaders emph ...

in Newcastle, and was appointed a magistrate in 1880.

Civic and political career

In 1867 he was elected an alderman of the Borough of West Maitland. He was defeated in February 1869, but re-elected to a casual vacancy in April 1869. He was first elected an alderman for Newcastle in 1875, serving until 1887, including as Mayor of Newcastle in 1881. In 1885 he was elected to the

New South Wales Legislative Assembly The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wales Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament Ho ...

as one of the members for

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...

on a protectionist platform. An independent protectionist when political parties emerged in 1887, he joined the

Protectionist Party The Protectionist Party or Liberal Protectionist Party was an Australian political party, formally organised from 1887 until 1909, with policies centred on protectionism. The party advocated protective tariffs, arguing it would allow Australi ...

in 1889 and held his seat until his defeat in 1891. He did not hold any ministerial or parliamentary office.

Later life and death

Creer was appointed superintendent of the government labour bureau in 1892, holding the position for ten years until 1901 when he was appointed a Labour Commissioner, before retiring in 1902 when he went on a trip to Europe and North America. He moved to Summer Hill on his return, where he died in 1913 (aged 82).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Creer, Joseph 1832 births 1913 deaths Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Protectionist Party politicians Mayors and Lord Mayors of Newcastle