Richard Sumner (January 1859 – 11 June 1927) was a member of both 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 ...

and

Queensland Legislative Assembly The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembly ...

Early life

Sumner was born in January 1859 at

Bolton Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish people, Flemish weavers settled in the area i ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, to Joseph Sumner and his wife Ann (née Moore) and educated at the Mechanics' Institute. Arriving in

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_ ...

in 1883 at age 24, he took up Pineapple farming at

Zillmere Zillmere is a Suburbs and localities (Australia), suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Zillmere had a population of 8,967 people. Geography As at 2008, Zillmere was approximately 60% residential and 40% industrial. H ...

in the 1880s before establishing a fruit preserving factory in

Fortitude Valley Fortitude Valley (often called "The Valley" by local residents) is an inner suburb of the City of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. In the , Fortitude Valley had a population of 9,708 people. The suburb features two pedestri ...

. Sumner was President of the Queensland Central Executive for the Labor Party, Controller of the Trade Boards and a Commissioner on the Commonwealth Price Fixing Board. He was also a director and guarantor for the ''Daily Standard''.

Political career

Before joining the Labour Party, Sumner was a supporter of the Kidston– Morgan ministry and later the Opposition group. At the 1907 state election, he was a candidate for the seat of

Nundah Nundah (previously called German Station) is an inner suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It contains the neighbourhood of Toombul. In the , Nundah had a population of 12,141 people. Prior to European settlement, Nundah was i ...

and defeated Mt Atthow by 152 votes. He held the seat until the

1909 Events January–February * January 4 – Explorer Aeneas Mackintosh of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition escaped death by fleeing across ice floes. * January 7 – Colombia recognizes the independence of Panama. * Januar ...

when the former member, Thomas Bridges, defeated Sumner by 178 votes. When the Labour Party starting forming governments in Queensland, it found much of its legislation being blocked by a hostile

, where members had been appointed for life by successive conservative governments. After a failed

referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

in May 1917, Premier

Ryan Ryan may refer to: People and fictional characters *Ryan (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) *Ryan (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) Places Australia * Division of Ryan, an elector ...

tried a new tactic, and later that year advised the Governor, Sir Hamilton John Goold-Adams, to appoint thirteen new members whose allegiance lay with Labour to the Council."Goold-Adams, Sir Hamilton John (1858–1920)"
''

Australian Dictionary of Biography The ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' (ADB or AuDB) is a national co-operative enterprise founded and maintained by the Australian National University (ANU) to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's ...

''. Retrieved 15 April 2015. Sumner was one of the thirteen new members, and went on to serve for four and a half years until the Council was abolished in March, 1922.

Personal life

On 6 April 1886, Smith married Eliza Jane Robinson at Brisbane and together had three sons and four daughters. On 11 June 1927 he died at his home "Langton", Norman Parade,

Eagle Junction Clayfield is a suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Clayfield had a population of 10,555 people. Geography Clayfield is by road from the Brisbane GPO. Clayfield is bordered to the north by Nundah, to the east by ...

, Brisbane in June 1927 after several months of illness. He was buried the same day at

Nundah Cemetery Nundah Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery at 88 Hedley Avenue, Nundah, Queensland, Nundah, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1840s to 1963. It is also known as German Station Cemetery. It was added to the Queensland ...

.Sumner Richard
— Brisbane City Council Grave Location Search. Retrieved 15 April 2015.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sumner, Richard Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly Members of the Queensland Legislative Council 1863 births 1927 deaths Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Queensland Burials at Nundah Cemetery