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Lancel Victor de Hamel (10 September 1849 – 25 November 1894) was a publisher, solicitor and politician who represented the people of Albany in the Great Southern region of
The ''Albany Advertiser'', first published by de Hamel in 1888 as the ''Australian Advertiser'', is still in circulation. The paper is the oldest continuous-running non-metropolitan newspaper in Western Australia.
A bronze plaque to honour de Hamel was unveiled in 1978; it is found on the side of the Albany Town Hall.
The townsite of Hamel is named after him. The land the townsite occupies once belonged to de Hamel, who acquired it in the 1890s when it was opened up for settlement. The land was granted back to the government after his death.
Lancel Victor de Hamel (10 September 1849 – 25 November 1894) was a publisher, solicitor and politician who represented the people of Albany in the Great Southern region 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 ...
.
Early life
De Hamel was born on 10 September 1849 in London. His father, Felix John de Hamel, was a solicitor in Stoke Newington, London. Lancel followed in his footsteps and after completing his training worked as a solicitor for the Board of Trade, at Newcastle upon Tyne. He was actively involved in local politics as a conservative and a captain of the 3rd Volunteer Battalion of theRoyal Northumberland Fusiliers
The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers was an infantry regiment of the British Army. Raised in 1674 as one of three 'English' units in the Dutch Anglo-Scots Brigade, it accompanied William III to England in the November 1688 Glorious Revolution an ...
.
He married Marion Eugenie de Manuel Hammond in 1877 in Northumberland and in the 1880s de Hamel embarked on an unsuccessful expedition to find buried treasure on a pacific island.
Western Australia
De Hamel emigrated to Albany in 1886 for health reasons. In 1888 he established the ''Australian Advertiser'', which later became the '' Albany Advertiser''. Using the popularity of the newspaper he was elected Mayor of Albany later the same year. De Hamel was a member of theWestern Australian Legislative Council
The Western Australian Legislative Council is the upper house of the Parliament of Western Australia, a state of Australia. It is regarded as a house of review for legislation passed by the Legislative Assembly, the lower house. The two Houses ...
from 1889 to 1890; in 1890 he was elected as the member of Western Australian Legislative Assembly seat of Albany in the state's first parliament and remained in the position until 1894. He contested the seat of Yilgarn
The Yilgarn Craton is a large craton that constitutes the bulk of the Western Australian land mass. It is bounded by a mixture of sedimentary basins and Proterozoic fold and thrust belts. Zircon grains in the Jack Hills, Narryer Terrane have bee ...
in 1894 but was defeated by Charles John Moran.
De Hamel opposed the government of John Forrest
Sir John Forrest (22 August 1847 – 2 SeptemberSome sources give the date as 3 September 1918 1918) was an Australian explorer and politician. He was the first premier of Western Australia (1890–1901) and a long-serving cabinet minister i ...
and was well known for his many fiery exchanges with Forrest in parliament.
In 1893 he became the leader of the few diverse elements that made up the opposition.
In 1892 de Hamel also started a law firm in partnership with James Montgomery Speed, with offices in 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 ...
.
De Hamel died in Coolgardie of typhoid
Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...
on 25 November 1894. He was buried in the Coolgardie Cemetery.
Legacy
The ''Albany Advertiser'', first published by de Hamel in 1888 as the ''Australian Advertiser'', is still in circulation. The paper is the oldest continuous-running non-metropolitan newspaper in Western Australia.
A bronze plaque to honour de Hamel was unveiled in 1978; it is found on the side of the Albany Town Hall.
The townsite of Hamel is named after him. The land the townsite occupies once belonged to de Hamel, who acquired it in the 1890s when it was opened up for settlement. The land was granted back to the government after his death.
See also
* List of mayors of Albany, Western AustraliaReferences
{{DEFAULTSORT:de Hamel, Lancel Victor 1849 births 1894 deaths Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly 19th-century Australian politicians Mayors of Albany, Western Australia Deaths from typhoid fever Settlers of Western Australia