John Leighton Nanson (22 September 1863 – 29 February 1916) was a journalist and politician in Western Australia. A former writer and sub-editor with '' The West Australian'', he served in the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1901 to 1905 and again from 1908 to 1914. Nanson was a minister in the governments of Alf Morgans, Walter James, Newton Moore, and Frank Wilson, including as attorney-general from 1909 to 1911.

Early life

Nanson was born in

Carlisle, Cumberland Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers Eden, Caldew and Petteril. It is the administrative centre of the City ...

, England. He attended Carlisle Grammar School and King William's College (on the Isle of Man). After leaving school, Nanson emigrated to Australia, initially living in

Broken Hill, New South Wales Broken Hill is an inland mining city in the far west of outback New South Wales, Australia. It is near the border with South Australia on the crossing of the Barrier Highway (A32) and the Silver City Highway (B79), in the Barrier Range. It is ...

, and then going to South Australia. He arrived in Western Australia in the mid-1880s, worked as a journalist. In 1899, he was made an associate editor of '' The West Australian'', having previously served as its

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 ...

correspondent.John Leighton Nanson
– Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 3 June 2016.

Politics

Nanson was elected to parliament at the 1901 state election, winning the seat of Murchison from the sitting member, Samuel Mitchell. In November 1901, after only seven months as an MP, he was made Minister for Lands in the newly formed Morgans ministry, which lasted for just 32 days. Nanson was elevated to the ministry for a second time in January 1904, as 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 ...

in the James ministry. He replaced Hector Rason as Minister for Works a few months later, but the government fell in August 1904 (after a vote of no confidence). At the 1904 state election, Nanson had switched seats, defeating

Patrick Stone Patrick Stone (14 March 1854 – 23 December 1926) was a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 1901 to 1904, and from 1905 to 1908. Born in Buncrana in Inishowen, County Donegal, Ireland, on 14 March 1854, Patrick Stone wa ...

in the seat of Greenough. His old seat, Murchison, was lost to the Labor Party. However, Nanson did not re-contest his seat at the 1905 election, instead travelling to England to study law. He was

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

in 1908, and later that year returned to Australia, reclaiming the seat of Greenough at the 1908 state election. Nanson was elevated to the ministry for a third time in May 1909, as a minister without portfolio in the Moore ministry. In a reshuffle the following month, he was made Attorney-General and Minister for Education. He retained his portfolios when Frank Wilson replaced Newton Moore as premier in September 1910, but the government was defeated at the 1911 election.

Later life

Nanson left for England in 1913, and did not re-contest Greenough at the 1914 election. He died in Wimborne, Dorset, in February 1916, aged 52. He had married Janet Drummond Durlacher in 1887, with whom he had three children.

References

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Nanson, John 1863 births 1916 deaths Attorneys-General of Western Australia Australian barristers Australian newspaper editors English barristers English emigrants to colonial Australia Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly People from Carlisle, Cumbria People educated at Carlisle Grammar School People educated at King William's College 19th-century English lawyers