James Hiers McColl (31 January 184420 February 1929) was an Australian politician. Prior to

Federation A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...

in 1901, he was a member of the

Victorian Legislative Assembly The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The presiding ...

(1886–1900) and twice held ministerial office. He was known for his interest in agriculture, particularly new

irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow Crop, crops, Landscape plant, landscape plants, and Lawn, lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,00 ...

techniques. In the new

federal parliament The Parliament of Australia (officially the Federal Parliament, also called the Commonwealth Parliament) is the legislative branch of the government of Australia. It consists of three elements: the monarch (represented by the governor-gen ...

he first represented the

Division of Echuca The Division of Echuca was an Australian electoral division in the state of Victoria. The division was proclaimed in 1900, and was one of the original 65 divisions to be contested at the first federal election. It was abolished in 1937. It ...

(1901–1906) in the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

and then served as a

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

for

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 ...

(1907–1914). He was

Vice-President of the Executive Council The Vice-President of the Executive Council is the minister in the Government of Australia who acts as the presiding officer of meetings of the Federal Executive Council when the Governor-General is absent. The Vice-President of the Executiv ...

in the Cook Government (1913–1914).

Early life

McColl was born in

South Shields South Shields () is a coastal town in South Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the south bank of the mouth of the River Tyne. Historically, it was known in Roman times as Arbeia, and as Caer Urfa by Early Middle Ages. According to the 20 ...

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, the son of

Hugh McColl Hugh L. McColl Jr. (born 18 June 1935) is a fourth-generation banker and the former Chairman and CEO of Bank of America. Active in banking since around 1960, McColl was a driving force behind consolidating a series of progressively larger, mos ...

, and migrated with his family to Australia in 1853, but his mother died before they landed in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. McColl was educated at the Model School, Sandhurst and for a time at

Scotch College, Melbourne (For God, for Country, and for Learning) , established = , type = Independent, day and boarding , gender = Boys , denomination = Presbyterian , slogan = , ...

. He married Emily Boyle in January 1867 and subsequently became an insurance agent and legal manager.

Colonial politics

McColl supported

and closer settlement and won the seat of

Mandurang Mandurang, is a locality in the City of Greater Bendigo, in the Australian state of Victoria. It grew and developed as a goldfield settlement and logging locality, though today mostly consists of small farms and wineries. Mandurang Primary Scho ...

in the

in 1886, moving to the seat of Gunbower in 1889. He was Minister of Mines and of Water Supply from January 1893 to September 1894 and

President of the Board of Land and Works The Board of Land and Works was a board that throughout its existence, was responsible for matters involving public works, public lands, railways, main roads, bridges, Melbourne sewage and water supply, rural water supply, aboriginal welfare, an ...

, Commissioner Crown Lands and Survey and Minister Forests from December 1899 to November 1900. As minister, he was responsible for the first purchase of large estates so that they could be sub-divided for closer settlement.

Federal politics

McColl was a strong supporter of

Australian federation The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia (which also governed what is now the Northern Territory), and Western A ...

and won the

seat of

Echuca Echuca ( ) is a town on the banks of the Murray River and Campaspe River in Victoria, Australia. The border town of Moama is adjacent on the northern side of the Murray River in New South Wales. Echuca is the administrative centre and largest ...

at the first federal election, in 1901 as a

Protectionist Protectionism, sometimes referred to as trade protectionism, is the economic policy of restricting imports from other countries through methods such as tariffs on imported goods, import quotas, and a variety of other government regulations. ...

. At the 1906 election, he moved to the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

, his term commencing on 1 January 1907. He was the first person to have served in both houses of the federal parliament. He was appointed

in the Cook Ministry from June 1913 to September 1914. He was defeated at the 1914 election.

Personal life

McColl bought an irrigation farm at Gunbower (near

Cohuna Cohuna is a town situated north of Melbourne, on the Murray Valley Highway, in northern Victoria, Australia. At the , Cohuna had a population of 2,428. History A post office opened in the area on 18 September 1875, known as Mologa until 1876, ...

), but later retired to the Melbourne suburb of Deepdene. His first wife had died in 1898 and he remarried Sarah Ann Thomas in January 1900. He died in Melbourne (aged 85), survived by his wife and their two sons and a daughter and two daughters from his first marriage.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:McColl, James Protectionist Party members of the Parliament of Australia Commonwealth Liberal Party members of the Parliament of Australia Victoria (Australia) state politicians Members of the Australian House of Representatives Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Echuca Members of the Australian Senate for Victoria Members of the Australian Senate Members of the Cabinet of Australia 1844 births 1929 deaths People educated at Scotch College, Melbourne Free Trade Party members of the Parliament of Australia 20th-century Australian politicians People from South Shields Politicians from Tyne and Wear Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly Presidents of the Board of Land and Works