Sir Samuel Robert Walder (8 October 1879 – 24 November 1946) was an Australian businessman and politician. He was a long-serving member of the

Sydney City Council The City of Sydney is the local government area covering the Sydney central business district and surrounding inner city suburbs of the greater metropolitan area of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established by Act of Parliament in 1842, th ...

, including as

Lord Mayor of Sydney The Right Honourable the Lord Mayor of Sydney is the head of the Council of the City of Sydney, which is the local government area covering the central business district of Sydney in the State of New South Wales, Australia. The Lord Mayor has be ...

in 1932, and was also a member of the

New South Wales Legislative Council The New South Wales Legislative Council, often referred to as the upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of the Australian state of New South Wales. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in th ...

from 1932 to 1943.

Early life and business career

Samuel Robert Walder was born in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

on 8 October 1879, the son of Mary Ann (Hatton) and Samuel Walder, a sail-maker. After being educated at Cleveland Street Public School and

Christ Church St Laurence Christ Church St Laurence is an Anglican church located at 814 George Street, near Central railway station and Haymarket, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is the principal centre of Anglo-Catholic worship in the city and Diocese of S ...

Parish School, he left school at age 13 and entered his father's sail, tent and tarpaulin manufacturing business as an apprentice. When his father died, the 18-year-old Walder took over as manager. He expanded the business and floated it as a

Limited company In a limited company, the liability of members or subscribers of the company is limited to what they have invested or guaranteed to the company. Limited companies may be limited by Share (finance), shares or by guarantee. In a company limited by ...

, ''S. Walder Ltd'', in 1911. On 22 March 1911 he married Elsie Helena Blunt, a milliner, at St Martin's Anglican Church,

Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...

. They had two children together, Mollie and Samuel; Mollie married the English cricketer

John Human John Hanbury Human (16 January 1912 – 22 July 1991) was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket in the 1930s before moving to Australia. Cricket career John Human was educated at Repton and Clare College, Cambridge. He toured twi ...

. After the death of his sister Mary in 1917, Walder and his wife helped raise his nephew

William McMahon Sir William McMahon (23 February 190831 March 1988) was an Australian politician who served as the 20th Prime Minister of Australia, in office from 1971 to 1972 as leader of the Liberal Party. He was a government minister for over 21 years, t ...

, who would eventually become

Prime Minister of Australia The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister heads the executive branch of the Australian Government, federal government of Australia and is also accountable to Parliament of A ...

. He was the chief paternal influence on McMahon, whose own father was absent. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Walder's company obtained a government contract to supply tents to the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...

. With the success of his company, Walder expanded his business activities, becoming a director of the local board of Eagle Star and British Dominions Fire Insurance Company, Lowe Brothers, Monsoon Waterproofing Company and as the chairman of directors of

Sargents Limited Sargent or Sargents may refer to: People * Sargent (name), includes a list of people with the name Places *Sargent, California *Sargents, Colorado *Sargent, Georgia * Sargent, Scott County, Missouri * Sargent, Texas County, Missouri *Sargent, Ne ...

. In 1924 he retired as managing director of ''S. Walder Ltd'', which remained a family company.

Political career

Sydney City Council

Walder was a prominent member of the Sydney community, being a member of the Sydney Chamber of Manufactures,

Chamber of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to ad ...

, and the Master Retailers Association. He was also a director of

Royal Prince Alfred Hospital The Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (abbreviated RPAH or RPA) is a major public teaching hospital in Sydney, Australia, located on Missenden Road in Camperdown. It is a teaching hospital of the Central Clinical School of the Sydney Medical School ...

from 1933 to 1935 and a member of the

Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, profe ...

of Sydney. In December 1924, Walder was elected to the

at a by-election for Flinders Ward, standing for the

Civic Reform Association The Civic Reform Association, variously known as the Civic Reform Movement and the Citizens' Reform Association, was an Australian non-aligned ratepayers' organisation that was formed by approximately seventy people at the Sydney Town Hall on 20 ...

. His first term as an alderman lasted until 1927, when the council was dismissed, but when the council returned in 1930 he was elected for Macquarie Ward. He was the secretary of the Citizens' Reform Association from 1925 to 1941. On 9 December 1931, Walder was elected by the council as

, noting that he had "realised the ambition of my life". Taking office in 1932, Walder led the council during the worst year of the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

and chaired the Citizens' Employment Committee, which assisted citizens in obtaining employment. The civic improvements and events undertaken during his tenure included the extension of

Martin Place Martin Place is a pedestrian mall in the Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia. Martin Place has been described as the "civic heart" of Sydney.

to Macquarie Street, the unveiling of the

Archibald Fountain The Archibald Fountain, properly called the J. F. Archibald Memorial Fountain is located in Hyde Park, in central Sydney. It is named after J. F. Archibald, owner and editor of '' The Bulletin'' magazine, who bequeathed funds to have it bu ...

on 14 March 1932 and the opening of the

Sydney Harbour Bridge The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge in Sydney, spanning Port Jackson, Sydney Harbour from the Sydney central business district, central business district (CBD) to the North Shore (Sydney), North Shore. The view of the bridg ...

on 19 March 1932. On 2 January 1933, he was made a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are the ...

for his service as Lord Mayor. Sydney Harbour Bridge opening

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Walder chaired Sydney City Council's National Emergency Services committee, advocating the construction of underground air-raid shelters and other measures preparing for possible attack. He served as an alderman until his retirement in December 1941.

State politics

As Lord Mayor, Walder was given a life appointment to the

from 8 September 1932. However, with the abolition of life appointments and the introduction of indirect elections to the council in 1933, Walder was elected as a member on 21 November 1933. An active philanthropist along with his wife, in 1933 he donated £100 towards an initiative to build houses for the financially distressed. As a vice-president of the liberal conservative National Association of New South Wales in 1930 and a member of the committee that negotiated the creation of the

United Australia Party The United Australia Party (UAP) was an Australian political party that was founded in 1931 and dissolved in 1945. The party won four federal elections in that time, usually governing in coalition with the Country Party. It provided two prim ...

, of which he was a vice-president in 1933–1939, Walder sat for the UAP in the Legislative Council until his defeat in April 1943. Survived by his wife, son and daughter, he died of cancer on 24 November 1946 at Woollahra and was buried in

Waverley Cemetery The Waverley Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery on top of the cliffs at Bronte in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Opened in 1877 and built by R. Watkins (cemetery lodge, 1878) and P. Beddie (cemetery office, 1915 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walder, Samuel 1879 births 1946 deaths Australian businesspeople Australian Anglicans Australian people of English descent Australian Knights Bachelor Australian politicians awarded knighthoods Mayors and Lord Mayors of Sydney Members of the New South Wales Legislative Council United Australia Party members of the Parliament of New South Wales Civic Reform Association politicians