William Allan (1840—1901) was a pastoralist and politician in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia. He was a

Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly This is a list of members of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland, the state parliament of Queensland, sorted by parliament. See also * Queensland Legislative Assembly electoral districts This is a list of current and former electoral div ...

and a

Member of the Queensland Legislative Council Following are lists of members of the Queensland Legislative Council The Queensland Legislative Council was the upper house of the parliament in the Australian state of Queensland. It was a fully nominated body which first took office on 1 May ...

Business

William Allan owned a pastoral property ''

Braeside Braeside, meaning ''hillside'' in the Scots language, may refer to: * Braeside, Aberdeen, Scotland * Braeside, Greenock, Scotland * Braeside, Victoria, Australia * Braeside, Ontario, Canada * Braeside Observatory, Flagstaff, Arizona * Breaside, Chic ...

'' located about NNW of Dalveen and SW of

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...

. He grazed cattle and sheep. He had an active breeding program to create a flock of black Merino sheep. He obtained twice the price for black wool than for white and this compensated for the slightly lower yield of fleece from the black Merino sheep.

Politics

On 1 November 1881, Francis Kates, the member for

Darling Downs The Darling Downs is a farming region on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range in southern Queensland, Australia. The Downs are to the west of South East Queensland and are one of the major regions of Queensland. The name was generall ...

, resigned. William Allan was elected to the

Queensland Legislative Assembly The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembly ...

at the resulting by-election on 29 November 1881. He held the seat until the 1883 election). He did not contest the 1883 election as he was returning to the United Kingdom for a holiday for the benefit of his health. On 22 August 1887, William Miles, the member for

, died. Allan won the resulting by-election on 6 September 1887. He held Darling Downs until 5 May 1888 (the 1888 election). At the 1888 elections, there had been an electoral redistribution, abolishing the electorate of Darling Downs, so Allan contested the new electorate of

Cunningham Cunningham is a surname of Scottish origin, see Clan Cunningham. Notable people sharing this surname A–C * Aaron Cunningham (born 1986), American baseball player *Abe Cunningham, American drummer * Adrian Cunningham (born 1960), Australian ...

and was elected on 19 May 1888. He held Cunningham until 21 March 1896 (the 1896 election), which he did not contest citing health and business considerations. On 11 March 1897 he was appointed for life to the

Queensland Legislative Council The Queensland Legislative Council was the upper house of the parliament in the Australian state of Queensland. It was a fully nominated body which first took office on 1 May 1860. It was abolished by the Constitution Amendment Act 1921, which to ...

. He served on the Council until his death on 19 October 1901. One of Allan's political ambitions was to create a railway line from

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...

(via the

Fassifern Valley Fassifern Valley is a valley of the Scenic Rim in South East Queensland. Towns found in the valley include Harrisville, Kalbar, Roadvale, Warril View and Aratula. Fassifern Valley is known as a carrot-producing area, as well as for growin ...

and

Cunningham's Gap Cunninghams Gap is a pass over the Great Dividing Range between the Darling Downs and the Fassifern Valley in Queensland, Australia. The Gap is the major route over the Main Range National Park, Main Range along the Great Dividing Range, between ...

) and then beyond to St George, Cunnamulla and

Thargomindah Thargomindah (frequently shortened to Thargo) is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Bulloo, Queensland, Australia. The town of Thargomindah is the administrative centre for the Shire of Bulloo. In the , Thargomindah had a population o ...

and across to the

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 ...

n border to facilitate trade with South Australia, bypassing

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. He envisaged that Warwick would be the major railway hub on the

. However, this trainway line was never built and it was

Toowoomba Toowoomba ( , nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar') is a city in the Toowoomba Region of the Darling Downs, Queensland, Australia. It is west of Queensland's capital city Brisbane by road. The urban population of Toowoomba as of the 2021 C ...

that became the railway hub on the Darling Downs.

Later life

William Allan had a long history of suffering from

asthma Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, cou ...

and

bronchitis Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi (large and medium-sized airways) in the lungs that causes coughing. Bronchitis usually begins as an infection in the nose, ears, throat, or sinuses. The infection then makes its way down to the bronchi. ...

which were aggravated by an attack of

influenza Influenza, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These symptoms ...

in September 1901, causing him to take a month's leave of absence from the Queensland Legislative Council to restore his health. He travelled to Sydney hoping it would improve his health, but on arrival his condition worsened and his wife was summoned by telegram. She arrived to be with him when he died on Saturday 19 October 1901 at the Hotel Metropole in Sydney. His funeral was held on Monday 21 September 1901 at St Stephen's Presbyterian Church in Macquarie Street, Sydney, after which he was buried in the

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), ...

. When the Queensland Legislative Council met on Tuesday 22 October, William Allan's death was announced and, following by a series of heartfelt eulogies by fellow Council members, the Council was immediately adjourned to mark their deep sorrow at his death. His

Braeside Homestead Braeside Homestead is a heritage-listed homestead at Crystal Mount Road, Dalveen, Southern Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1870s to 1920s. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 23 August 2002. History ...

is now listed on the

Queensland Heritage Register The Queensland Heritage Register is a heritage register, a statutory list of places in Queensland, Australia that are protected by Queensland legislation, the Queensland Heritage Act 1992. It is maintained by the Queensland Heritage Council. As a ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allan, William Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly Members of the Queensland Legislative Council 1840 births 1901 deaths 19th-century Australian politicians Scottish emigrants to colonial Australia