William Wilson Killen (1860 – 20 February 1939) was an Australian politician. Killen was born and educated in

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and migrated to Australia with his family in 1876. His father Edward acquired significant pastoral interests, and Killen initially worked on his father's property, "Elsinor", then managed the "Pirillie" property near Bourke. He then acquired an interest in the "Bull Plain" property near Corowa, founding a Merino stud, and purchased the "Merribee" property near

Barellan Barellan is a small town in Narrandera Shire in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. On Census night 2021, Barellan had a population of 276. It is a quiet Riverina wheat town on the Burley Griffin Way, with characteristic silos, ...

in 1908, where he resided for many years thereafter. He was a co-founder of the Farmers and Settlers' Association and after many years of involvement was its president from 1920 to 1922. He was also president of the

Murrumbidgee Shire Murrumbidgee Shire was a local government area in the Riverina region of south western New South Wales, Australia. The Shire was located adjacent to the Murrumbidgee River and the Newell Highway. The two main administrative centres for the Mu ...

, a

Yanko Shire Yanko Shire was a local government area in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Yanko Shire was proclaimed on 7 March 1906. On 6 January 1928, Willimbong Shire (later renamed Leeton Shire) was excised from its territory as per th ...

councillor, vice-president of the Riverina New State League, a member of the councils of the Graziers' Association and Stockowners' Association and a member of the Australian Meat Council, as well as his local pastures protection board. He was an unsuccessful Progressive Party candidate at the 1920 state election. In 1922 he was elected to the

Australian House of Representatives The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the upper house being the Senate. Its composition and powers are established in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia. The term of members of the ...

as a member of the Country Party, defeating

Nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...

MP John Chanter for the seat of Riverina. In 1925, while a federal MP, he was the official representative of the Riverina movement at the 1925 NSW Royal Commission into the New State movements. Killen held Riverina until his retirement in 1931, having had a heart attack in 1929 and struggled with health issues during his final term. Killen returned to farming after his retirement from politics and also continued a long-running role as a director of the Farmers and Graziers' Co-operative Grain Insurance and Agency Co. Ltd. He retired to

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 ...

in his final years. He died at his home in Manly in 1939 after having been ill for several months, and was buried at Rookwood Cemetery. He married Marion Young, daughter of Victorian colonial MP

Charles Young Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was " ...

, and they had three sons and one daughter; she predeceased him in 1926. Killen's grandson,

David Leitch David Leitch (born November 16, 1975) is an American filmmaker, actor, stunt performer and stunt coordinator who made his directorial debut on the 2014 action film ''John Wick'' with Chad Stahelski, though only Stahelski was credited. Leitch the ...

, was a 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 ...

from 1973 to 1978.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Killen, William National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Riverina Members of the Australian House of Representatives 1860 births 1939 deaths 20th-century Australian politicians British emigrants to colonial Australia