Joseph John Holmes (24 May 1866 – 25 April 1942) was an Australian politician who served in both houses of the

Parliament of Western Australia The Parliament of Western Australia is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Western Australia, forming the legislative branch of the Government of Western Australia. The parliament consists of a lower house, the Legislative Ass ...

. A minister in both governments of

George Leake George Leake (3 December 1856 – 24 June 1902) was the third Premier of Western Australia, serving from May to November 1901 and then again from December 1901 to his death. Leake was born in Perth, into a prominent local family. Studying l ...

, he was a member of the Legislative Assembly from 1897 to 1904 and again from 1905 to 1906, and later a member of the Legislative Council from 1914 until his death.

Early life

Holmes was born in

Mandurah Mandurah () is a coastal city in the Australian state of Western Australia, situated approximately south of the state capital, Perth. It is the state's second most populous city, with a population of 107,641 as of the 2021 Australian census, 2 ...

, Western Australia, to Maria (née Wilson) and Robert Holmes. After leaving school, he worked in Mandurah for a time, and then went to

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

, where he founded a meat processing firm with his three brothers. The firm, Holmes Brothers, later expanded to

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

and to the

Eastern Goldfields The Eastern Goldfields is part of the Western Australian Goldfields in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, covering the present and former gold-mining area east of Perth. Extent and name origin The region encompasses the town ...

(during the

gold rushes A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, New Z ...

of the 1890s), generating large profits. Holmes was elected to the Fremantle Municipal Council in 1893, and served until 1898.Joseph John Holmes
– Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 14 June 2016.

Legislative Assembly

At the 1897 general election, Holmes won the newly created seat of East Fremantle, defeating Matthew Moss by just six votes. He was re-elected at the 1901 election, and subsequently appointed to

the ministry In constitutional usage in Commonwealth realms, a ministry (usually preceded by the definite article, i.e., the ministry) is a collective body of government ministers led by a head of government, such as a prime minister. It is described by Oxfo ...

formed by the new

premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

, George Leake, as Commissioner for Railways. The Leake government fell in November 1901, and Holmes was not retained as a minister under

Alf Morgans Alfred Edward Morgans (17 February 1850 – 10 August 1933) was the fourth Premier of Western Australia, serving for just over a month, from 21 November to 23 December 1901. Born in Wales, Morgans trained as an engineer, and supervised mining ...

. However, Leake returned as premier a month later, and made Holmes a

minister without portfolio A minister without portfolio is either a government minister with no specific responsibilities or a minister who does not head a particular ministry. The sinecure is particularly common in countries ruled by coalition governments and a cabinet w ...

, a position which he held until Leake's death in June 1902. At the 1904 state election, Holmes was defeated in East Fremantle by a

Labor 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,

William Angwin William Charles Angwin (8 May 1863 – 9 June 1944) was an Australian politician who was Deputy Premier of Western Australia from 1924 until 1927, and Agent-General for Western Australia in London from 1927 until 1933. Born in Cornwall, Engla ...

. He reclaimed his seat at the 1905 election, winning by only 20 votes. However, that result was overturned by the

Supreme Court of Western Australia The Supreme Court of Western Australia is the highest state court in the Australian State of Western Australia. It has unlimited jurisdiction within the state in civil matters (although it usually only hears matters involving sums of A$750,00 ...

in April 1906, due to issues of voter fraud. Holmes attempted to appeal this decision to the

High Court of Australia The High Court of Australia is Australia's apex court. It exercises Original jurisdiction, original and appellate jurisdiction on matters specified within Constitution of Australia, Australia's Constitution. The High Court was established fol ...

, but was unsuccessful. Owing to the legal proceedings, the necessary by-election (which Holmes did not contest) was not held until November 1906.

Legislative Council and later years

After leaving parliament, Holmes concentrated on his business interests for several years. He was elected unopposed as

Mayor of Fremantle Fremantle, Western Australia Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Austr ...

in November 1910, but resigned exactly one week after being sworn in, stating he had been misled about the state of the town finances. Holmes re-entered parliament in 1914, winning a Legislative Council by-election for North Province (caused by the death of Richard Pennefather). Standing as an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

, he was re-elected in 1914, 1920, 1926, 1932, and 1938, on each occasion unopposed. Holmes died in Perth in April 1942, aged 75, and was buried at

Karrakatta Cemetery Karrakatta Cemetery is a metropolitan cemetery in the suburb of Karrakatta in Perth, Western Australia. Karrakatta Cemetery first opened for burials in 1899, the first being that of wheelwright Robert Creighton. Managed by the Metropolitan Ce ...

."THE LATE MR. J. J. HOLMES"
''The West Australian'', 28 April 1942. He had married Marjorie Jane Tighe in 1897, with whom he had four children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holmes, Joseph 1866 births 1942 deaths Burials at Karrakatta Cemetery Independent members of the Parliament of Western Australia Mayors of Fremantle Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly Members of the Western Australian Legislative Council People from Mandurah Western Australian local councillors

Early life

Legislative Assembly

Legislative Council and later years

See also

References