(John) Ryan Brenan (1 January 1798 – 5 June 1868) was an Australian politician and an elected member of the

New South Wales Legislative Assembly The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wales Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament Ho ...

for 68 days in 1856. He founded, and outlined, the suburb of Smithfield in Sydney. Furthermore,

Brenan Park Brenan Park is a urban park situated in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Primarily categorised as a sports field, the reserve contains an open grassland, bushland and recreational areas within the vicinity of native ...

, which is in that suburb, was named after him.

Early life

Brenan was born into a Protestant Anglo-Irish family and trained as a solicitor. He emigrated to Sydney in 1834 and held numerous judicial appointments including Superintendent of Convicts, Coroner, and Police Magistrate. At the same time he established a private legal practice and was the solicitor for the

Bank of Australasia The Bank of Australasia was an Australian bank in operation from 1835 to 1951. Headquartered in London, the bank was incorporated by Royal Charter in March 1834. It had initially been planned to additionally include first South Africa and then ...

. He owned extensive property in Camden and

Maitland Maitland is an English and Scottish surname. It arrived in Britain after the Norman conquest of 1066. There are two theories about its source. It is either a nickname reference to "bad temper/disposition" (Old French, ''Maltalent''; Anglo Norm ...

Colonial Parliament

At the first elections for the

after the granting of responsible government in

1856 Events January–March * January 8 – Borax deposits are discovered in large quantities by John Veatch in California. * January 23 – American paddle steamer SS ''Pacific'' leaves Liverpool (England) for a transatlantic voya ...

, Brenan was an unsuccessful candidate for the two member seat of Cumberland (South Riding). He was defeated by William Manning and

Elias Weekes Elias Carpenter Weekes (13 July 1809 – 5 August 1881) was an Australian ironmonger and politician. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council between 1865 and 1880. He was also a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assem ...

. However, Weekes had also been a candidate for the seat of Northumberland Boroughs and although initially defeated in that electorate, he successfully contested the result and was declared to be the member. Unable to represent two electorates, Weekes chose to represent Northumberland Boroughs and Brenan was successful at the subsequent Cumberland (South Riding) by-election. However, his election was overturned by the Elections and Qualifications committee of the Assembly because voting had not occurred in

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...

. Brenan decided not to contest the subsequent by-election, so that the Colonial Treasurer and former Premier

Stuart Donaldson Sir Stuart Alexander Donaldson (16 December 1812 – 11 January 1867) was the first Premier of the Colony of New South Wales. Early life Donaldson was born in London, England. He entered his father's firm at the age of 15 and was sent first t ...

, who had previously been defeated in a by-election in the seat of Sydney Hamlets, could re-enter parliament. Brenan was unsuccessful in the 1857 Cumberland (South Riding) by-election caused by the resignation of William Manning, and in the seat of Hartley at the 1859 election, and he did not stand for further public office.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowman, William 1798 births 1868 deaths Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly 19th-century Australian politicians