__NOTOC__ Maurice Charles O'Connell (13 January 1812 – 23 March 1879), was a

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

pioneer and president of the

Queensland Legislative Council The Queensland Legislative Council was the upper house of the parliament in the Australian state of Queensland. It was a fully nominated body which first took office on 1 May 1860. It was abolished by the Constitution Amendment Act 1921, which to ...

Early life

O'Connell was born at

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

in 1812. His father was Sir

Maurice Charles O'Connell Sir Maurice Charles Philip O'Connell KCH (1768 – 25 May 1848) was a commander of forces and lieutenant-governor of colonial New South Wales. Early life Maurice Charles O'Connell was born in Ireland in 1768. He had had a distinguished career ...

, his mother was

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

(née Bligh, formerly Putland) a daughter of Governor

William Bligh Vice-Admiral William Bligh (9 September 1754 – 7 December 1817) was an officer of the Royal Navy and a colonial administrator. The mutiny on the HMS ''Bounty'' occurred in 1789 when the ship was under his command; after being set adrift i ...

. He was educated at the high school, Edinburgh; Dublin and Paris.

Army career

O'Connell entered the army as an ensign at 16 and joined the 73rd Regiment at Gibraltar. In 1835 he volunteered for foreign service as colonel with the British Legion in Spain, which he himself had raised in the county of Cork and other parts of Munster, to sustain the cause of the Spanish Queen and constitution against the insurgent Carlists. Later on he became Deputy Adjutant-General, and ultimately succeeded Sir De Lacy Evans as general of brigade in command of the

British Auxiliary Legion The British Auxiliary Legion, also called the British Legion (''La Legión Británica'') or Westminster Legion, existed from 1835 to 1837. It was a British military force sent to Spain to support the Liberals and Queen Isabella II of Spain against ...

in Spain. The Legion was disbanded on 8 December 1837, after taking heavy casualties during the

battle of Andoain The Battle of Andoain (Basque: ''Andoaingo Gudua'') was a battle fought on 14 September 1837, during the First Carlist War in northern Spain. The action took place in Andoain, south of the main Liberal stronghold of San Sebastián. Liberal troop ...

. Sir Maurice O'Connell was rewarded for his services by having the knighthood of several Spanish orders conferred upon him. On his return to England he was appointed to the 51st Regiment, and afterwards becoming captain in the 28th, was appointed military secretary on the staff of his father in New South Wales in 1835. When the 28th was recalled to England, Sir Maurice sold out, and engaged in pastoral pursuits. He afterwards resigned from the army and took up land.

Political career

O'Connell was elected a member of the

New South Wales Legislative Council The New South Wales Legislative Council, often referred to as the upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of the Australian state of New South Wales. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in th ...

in August 1845 for the

electoral district of Port Phillip The Electoral district of Port Phillip was an electorate of the New South Wales Legislative Council before it became the separate colony of Victoria (Australia) on 1 July 1851. At the time, some members of the Council were elected and the balanc ...

. He was appointed commissioner of crown lands for the Burnett district in 1848, became government resident at

Port Curtis Port Curtis is a suburb of Rockhampton in the Rockhampton Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Port Curtis had a population of 281 people. Geography The Fitzroy River bounds the suburb to the north-east. Gavial Creek, a tributary of th ...

(now

Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-conse ...

) in 1854, and held this position until 1860. He was nominated as one of the original members of the

in 1860, was a minister without portfolio in the first ministry under

Herbert Herbert may refer to: People Individuals * Herbert (musician), a pseudonym of Matthew Herbert Name * Herbert (given name) * Herbert (surname) Places Antarctica * Herbert Mountains, Coats Land * Herbert Sound, Graham Land Australia * Herbert ...

, and introduced in July of that year a bill to provide for primary education in Queensland. Shortly afterwards he was elected president of the legislative council and retained this position until his death. In 1863, O'Connell was one of the founders and original trustees of the

Queensland Turf Club The Queensland Turf Club (QTC) was founded in August 1863. It began on a piece of land in Ascot, Queensland, later called Eagle Farm Racecourse, given to the club by government grant. The first meeting of the club was held on 14 August 1865. So ...

, having arranged a land grant of 322 acres of land at

Eagle Farm Eagle Farm is an eastern industrial suburb of the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Eagle Farm had a population of 0 people. The neighbourhood of Whinstanes is located in Eagle Farm (). Geography Eagle Farm is situated no ...

in Brisbane for the purpose of horse racing, now known as the

Eagle Farm Racecourse Eagle Farm Racecourse is a heritage-listed horse racing venue in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is located at the northern end of Racecourse Road in the suburb of Ascot, from the Brisbane central business district. The turf track is wid ...

. The other trustees were

John Frederick McDougall John Frederick McDougall (1820—1896) was a pastoralist and politician in Queensland, Australia. He was a Member of the Queensland Legislative Council. Early life John Frederick McDougall was born on 31 August 1820 in Parramatta, New South W ...

and George Harris (all three were Members of the Queensland Legislative Council). In 1865 O'Connell,

Augustus Charles Gregory Sir Augustus Charles Gregory (1 August 1819 – 25 June 1905) was an English-born Australian explorer and surveyor. Between 1846 and 1858 he undertook four major expeditions. He was the first Surveyor-General of Queensland. He was appointed a ...

and John Douglas applied for a special grant of land to erect a

Masonic Hall A Masonic Temple or Masonic Hall is, within Freemasonry, the room or edifice where a Masonic Lodge meets. Masonic Temple may also refer to an abstract spiritual goal and the conceptual ritualistic space of a meeting. Development and history In ...

in Brisbane. This was granted on 15 January 1865.

Late life and legacy

O'Connell was knighted in 1871. He was commandant of the local military forces, and on four occasions was acting-governor of Queensland and showed tact and ability in this position. He was president of the Australasian Association, and of the Queensland Turf Club, and was a vice-president of the National Agricultural Association. O'Connell died of cancer in Brisbane on 23 March 1879 at

Queensland Parliament House Parliament House in Brisbane is the meeting place of the Parliament of Queensland, housing its only chamber, the Legislative Assembly. It is located on the corner of George Street and Alice Street at Gardens Point in the CBD, and is next ...

. He was buried in

Toowong Cemetery Toowong Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery on the corner of Frederick Street and Mt Coot-tha Road, Toowong, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was established in 1866 and formally opened in 1875. It is Queensland's largest ceme ...

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnell, Maurice Charles 1812 births 1879 deaths Members of the New South Wales Legislative Council Members of the Queensland Legislative Council Presidents of the Queensland Legislative Council British Auxiliary Legion personnel 73rd Regiment of Foot officers 28th Regiment of Foot officers Maurice Charles Burials at Toowong Cemetery Pre-Separation Queensland 19th-century Australian public servants