Richard Stanley Sampson (16 November 1877 – 16 February 1944) was an Australian politician who was a member of the
Legislative Assembly 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 1921 until his death, representing the
seat of Swan. He was a minister in the first government of Sir
James Mitchell.
Early life
Sampson was born in
Hurtle Vale,
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
, to Mary Ann (née Trengove) and Richard Sampson. Having been apprenticed to a printer in South Australia, he moved to
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 ...
, Western Australia, in 1894, where he initially worked on ''
The Inquirer & Commercial News
''The Inquirer & Commercial News'' was a newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia from 1855 to 1901.
In May 1847, Edmund Stirling acquired ''The Inquirer'' from Francis Lochée, who established the paper in August 1840 together with Will ...
''.
[Richard Stanley Sampson](_blank)
– Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 15 June 2016. In 1896, Sampson founded his own printing company, which printed newspapers, magazines, and books (some of which Sampson wrote). He later also became the managing director of United Press Ltd (later Country Newspapers Pty Ltd), which owned various country newspapers. A prominent member of the community, Sampson served for periods on the
Leederville and
North Perth Municipal Councils, and was later elected to the
Darling Range Road Board, serving as chairman from 1909 to 1928.
Politics
At the
1921 state election, Sampson won election to the seat of Swan as the Country Party candidate, replacing
William Nairn.
In August 1922, he was elevated to the ministry in place of
Frank Broun
Frank Tyndall Broun (31 May 1876 – 1 April 1930) was an Australian politician who was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1911 to 1914 and again from 1917 to 1924. He was a minister in the first government of Sir ...
, becoming
Colonial Secretary and
Minister for Public Health.
Sampson's promotion to the ministry caused the resignation of the Country Party leader,
Tom Harrison, who believed he had not been duly consulted and that a more senior member of the party should have received the position.
The Country Party split into two rival factions in 1923, with Sampson joining the Ministerial (or Government) faction, which comprised supporters of the coalition with the
Nationalist Party. After the
1924 election, which saw the defeat of the Mitchell government, he and several other Country MPs joined the Nationalist Party.
He was re-elected as a Nationalist at the
1927 and
1930 elections,
but rejoined the Country Party in August 1932, citing the interests of his constituents. Sampson remained in parliament until his death in Perth in February 1944.
"Mr R S Sampson Dies Aged 66"
''The Daily News'', 17 February 1944. He had married Ethel Esther Woodcock in 1900, but they had no children.
See also
* First Mitchell Ministry
The First Mitchell Ministry was the 15th The Ministry, Ministry of the Government of Western Australia and was led by Nationalist Party of Australia, Nationalist Premier of Western Australia, Premier James Mitchell (Australian politician), James M ...
* 1944 Swan state by-election
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sampson, Richard
1877 births
1944 deaths
Australian people of Cornish descent
Australian printers
Mayors of places in Western Australia
Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly
National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Western Australia
Nationalist Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Western Australia
Politicians from Adelaide
Western Australian local councillors