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
– 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.

References

, - , - , - {{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

Early life

Politics

See also

References