Walter Langdon Parsons (16 August 1881 – 2 March 1955) was an Australian politician. Parsons was born at

North Adelaide North Adelaide is a predominantly residential precinct and suburb of the City of Adelaide in South Australia, situated north of the River Torrens and within the Adelaide Park Lands. History Surveyor-General Colonel William Light of the colo ...

, the son of politician

John Langdon Parsons John Langdon Parsons (28 April 1837 – 21 August 1903), generally referred to as "J. Langdon Parsons", was a Cornish Australian minister of the Baptist church, politician, and the 5th Government Resident of the Northern Territory, 1884–1890 ...

and half-brother of Herbert Angas Parsons. He was educated at Queen's School, Angaston Public School and

Whinham College North Adelaide Grammar School, later Whinham College was a private school operated in North Adelaide, South Australia by John Whinham (3 August 1803 – 13 March 1886) and his family. History John Whinham The founder of the school was born at Sh ...

. He worked for D & W Murray Limited from 1898, and in 1906 became a storekeeper in

Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-conse ...

, operating the Gladstone branch of F. C. Catt Specialty Stores. He renamed the store the W. L. Parsons Stores in 1912. In local government, Parsons was mayor of the

Corporate Town of Gladstone The Corporate Town of Gladstone was a local government area in South Australia, centred on the town of Gladstone. It was proclaimed on 8 March 1883, separating the township from the surrounding District Council of Gladstone. It was divided into th ...

from 1914 to 1916. He attempted to enlist for

World War I 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 ...

service on 1 November 1918, but was deferred at the recruiting depot. Parsons sold his Gladstone stores in 1919 and became a citrus grower at

Paradise In religion, paradise is a place of exceptional happiness and delight. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical or eschatological or both, often compared to the miseries of human civilization: in paradis ...

. In January 1922, he bought E. J. Woodroffe's store in Kadina, and operated it as W. Parsons & Co. until closing the business in December 1925 upon his election to parliament. He moved to Haldon Gardens (now in Kensington Park) by 1925, and served as a

District Council of Burnside The City of Burnside is a local government area in the South Australian city of Adelaide stretching from the Adelaide Parklands into the Adelaide foothills with an area of . It was founded in August 1856 as the District Council of Burnside, the ...

councillor for the Kensington Park Ward. Parsons was also a lay reader of the Anglican Church for over 20 years, a member of the standing committees of the Willochra and later Adelaide dioceses, and a vice-president of the Demobilised Soldiers' Association. In 1925, 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 the

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 ...

member for Angas, defeating sitting Labor MP

Moses Gabb Joel Moses Gabb (21 November 1882 – 6 March 1951) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1919 to 1934, representing the electorate of Division of Angas (1903–34), Angas. He represent ...

. He held the seat until his defeat by Gabb in 1929, whereupon he became an insurance agent. Parsons died in 1955.

References

Citrus farmers Nationalist Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Angas Members of the Australian House of Representatives 1881 births 1955 deaths People from Gladstone, South Australia 20th-century Australian politicians Mayors of places in South Australia {{Australia-Nationalist-politician-stub