Richard Witty Foster (20 August 1856 – 5 January 1932) was an Australian politician. He began his career in the Parliament of South Australia (1893–1906) and served two terms as Commissioner of Public Works in liberal and conservative governments. He was elected to federal parliament in 1909 as a Liberal, later joining the Nationalists. He was Minister for Works and Railways (1921–1923) under Prime Minister

Billy Hughes William Morris Hughes (25 September 1862 – 28 October 1952) was an Australian politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Australia, in office from 1915 to 1923. He is best known for leading the country during World War I, but ...

, eventually losing his seat at the 1928 election.

Early life

Foster was born in Goodmanham, Pocklington, Yorkshire, England and educated at Prospect House,

Tockwith Tockwith is a village and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England, near the town of Wetherby and the city of York. There has been a village on the site since at least 1086 when ''Tocvi'' was mentioned in the '' D ...

and apprenticed to a draper. He emigrated to South Australia in 1880 and established a business as a grocer and general provider at Quorn. He married Elizabeth Lees in September 1884. He was elected to the

Corporate Town of Quorn The Corporate Town of Quorn was a local government area in South Australia from 1883 to 1969, centred on the town of Quorn. It was incorporated on 25 October 1883, prior to the 1888 establishment of the rural District Council of Kanyaka, whic ...

council in 1887 and was mayor from 1890 to 1892.

South Australian politics

On 19 April 1893, Foster was elected to the South Australian House of Assembly as the member for Newcastle, a seat he held until Newcastle was abolished on 2 May 1902. From 3 May 1902 until 2 November 1906, Foster represented Flinders. He was Commissioner for Public Works from 8 December 1899 to 4 July 1904 and Minister for Industry from 1902 to 1904 in the liberal governments of Frederick Holder and John Jenkins. He resigned from the ministry in 1904, but still supported Jenkins until it fell in 1905 and was then Commissioner for Public Works and Minister for Agriculture in the conservative administration of Richard Butler, but lost his seat in 1906.

Federal politics

Foster won the seat of Wakefield in the House of Representatives at a 1909 by-election, standing for the Liberal Party. In December 1921, he was appointed Minister for Works and Railways in the Hughes ministry, but was dropped from the ministry in February 1923 by Stanley Bruce. He refused to join the South Australian Country Party and was beaten by its candidate, Maurice Collins in the

1928 elections The following elections occurred in the year 1928. Africa * 1928 Southern Rhodesian general election Asia * 1928 Japanese general election * 1928 Persian legislative election * 1928 Philippine House of Representatives elections * 1928 Philippine ...

. Foster died in the Adelaide

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...

of St Peters on 5 January 1932, survived by his wife, three daughters and a son.

Notes

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Foster, Richard Witty Commonwealth Liberal Party members of the Parliament of Australia Nationalist Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the South Australian House of Assembly Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Wakefield Members of the Australian House of Representatives 1856 births 1932 deaths Members of the Cabinet of Australia English emigrants to Australia Liberal Party (1922) members of the Parliament of Australia Australian grocers 20th-century Australian politicians Mayors of places in South Australia People from Market Weighton