Joseph Wood Langsford (29 July 1865 – 5 April 1957) was an Australian businessman and politician who was a member of the
Legislative Council of
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
from 1904 to 1911. He ran for parliament eight times in total, but won election only twice.
Early life
Langsford was born in
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
to Mary Ann (née Ware) and John Langsford. He attended
Prince Alfred College
, motto_translation = Do Brave Deeds and Endure
, established = 1869
, type = Independent, single-sex, day & boarding
, headmaster = David Roberts
, chaplain = Reverend ...
, and after leaving school found work with the
AMP Society
AMP is a financial services company in Australia and New Zealand providing superannuation and investment products, financial advice, and banking products (through AMP Banking) including home loans and savings accounts. Its headquarters is in ...
(an insurance firm). In 1884, Langsford was sent to Western Australia to work in the company's
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 ...
office. He left AMP in 1896 to set up his own business as an accountant and auditor.
[Joseph Wood Langsford](_blank)
– Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 15 June 2016. In the late 1890s, he became one of the leading advocates for the creation of a new Claremont Municipality (now the
Town of Claremont
The Town of Claremont is a Local government areas of Western Australia, local government area in the inner western List of Perth suburbs, suburbs of the Western Australian capital city of Perth, located about halfway between the port city of Fr ...
) out of the existing Claremont Road District (now the
City of Nedlands
The City of Nedlands is a local government area in the inner western suburbs of the Western Australian capital city of Perth, about west of Perth's central business district. The City is situated within the western suburbs of the metropolit ...
). This was accomplished in 1898, and the following year Langsford was elected the inaugural
Mayor of Claremont. He held that position until 1901, when he was succeeded by
Sydney Stubbs, and later served on the municipal council again from 1903 to 1906, and 1915 to 1918.
Politics
Langsford first stood for parliament at the
1901 state election, running for the
Legislative Assembly, but was defeated by
William Sayer
William Frederic Sayer KC (3 December 1857 – 26 February 1943) was an Australian lawyer and politician who was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1901 to 1902. He was attorney-general in the short-lived governmen ...
(the
attorney-general
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general.
In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
) in the newly created
seat of Claremont. At the
1902 Claremont by-election, caused by Sayer's resignation, Langsford placed third behind
John Foulkes
John Charles Griffiths Foulkes (22 March 1861 – 4 December 1935) served in both houses of the Parliament of Western Australia, as a member of the Legislative Council from 1894 to 1896 and as a member of the Legislative Assembly from 1902 to ...
and
Frank Wilson.
He eventually entered parliament at a 1904 Legislative Council by-election, replacing
William Brookman in
Metropolitan-Suburban Province
The Metropolitan-Suburban Province was a three-member electoral province of the Western Australian Legislative Council, located in the metropolitan region of Perth. It was created by the ''Constitution Acts Amendment Act 1899'', and became effect ...
.
Langsford was re-elected in 1906, but resigned a few months before the end of his second term to contest the Legislative Assembly at the
1911 state election. He again ran in Claremont, but lost to
Evan Wisdom
Brigadier General Evan Alexander Wisdom, (29 September 1869 – 7 December 1945) was an Australian politician, businessman and a senior officer of the Australian Army in the First World War. He was the Mayor of the Municipality of Cottesloe fro ...
, with both candidates standing as
Ministerialists.
In 1912, Langsford attempted to return to his previous Legislative Council seat, but was defeated by
Archibald Sanderson
Archibald Sanderson (1 April 1870 – 18 June 1937) was an Australian politician and journalist.
Born at Glenthompson in Victoria to pastoralist John Sanderson and Agnes Roberts, he attended Haileybury College and Christ Church, Oxford (graduatin ...
.
He recontested Claremont at the
1914 election, but again lost to Wisdom. His final run for parliament came at the
1918 Claremont by-election, where he ran as an independent but was defeated by
Thomas Duff
Thomas John Duff (1792–1848) was an Irish architect from Newry, County Down. Duff was the principal architect of a number of Roman Catholic churches and cathedrals in the northeast of Ireland.
His work included three churches dedicated to St ...
.
Later life
Outside of business and politics, Langsford served for periods as treasurer of
Methodist Ladies' College and chairman of the board of trustees of
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 ...
. He died in Claremont in 1957, aged 91. He had married Agnes Jane Read in 1888, with whom he had five children.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Langsford, Joseph
1865 births
1957 deaths
Australian accountants
Mayors of places in Western Australia
Members of the Western Australian Legislative Council
Politicians from Adelaide
Businesspeople from Adelaide
Western Australian local councillors