Sir William Henry Fancourt Mitchell (November 1811 – 24 November 1884) was an Australian police commissioner and politician,
President of the Victorian Legislative Council
The President of the Victorian Legislative Council, also known as the presiding officer of the council, is the presiding officer of the Victorian Legislative Council, the upper house of the Parliament of Victoria and equivalent to the President of ...
for fourteen years.
Life
Mitchell was the son of the Rev. George Barkley Mitchell of
Leicester
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city l ...
, England, vicar of St. Mary's and All Saints', Leicester, and chaplain to the late Duke of York.
[
Mitchell came to ]Tasmania
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, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
in January 1833 on the ''Sir Thomas Munro'' and entered the government service. In 1839 he became assistant colonial secretary.
On 21 August 1841, he married Christina, daughter of Andrew Templeton of Glasgow.
On 21 March 1842, he resigned his appointment and in April they sailed for Port Phillip where he acquired Barfold station near Kyneton
Kyneton ( ) is a town in the Macedon Ranges region of Victoria, Australia. The Calder Freeway bypasses Kyneton to the north and east. Kyneton is on Dja Dja Wurrung, Taungurung and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung country.
The town has four main streets: ...
and a property in Mount Macedon
Mount Macedon ( Aboriginal Woiwurrung language: ''Geboor'' or ''Geburrh'') is a dormant volcano that is part of the Macedon Ranges of the Great Dividing Range, located in the Central Highlands region of Victoria, Australia. The mountain has ...
districts becoming a large proprietor.
Mitchell entered the provisional Victorian Legislative Council
The Victorian Legislative Council (VLC) is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria, Australia, the lower house being the Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The Legislative Co ...
in 1852.
He was appointed by lieutenant-governor Charles La Trobe
Charles la Trobe, CB (20 March 18014 December 1875), commonly Latrobe, was appointed in 1839 superintendent of the Port Phillip District of New South Wales and, after the establishment in 1851 of the colony of Victoria (now a state of Australi ...
the first Chief Commissioner
A chief commissioner is a commissioner of a high rank, usually in chief of several commissioners or similarly styled officers.
Colonial
In British India the gubernatorial style was chief commissioner in various (not all) provinces (often after be ...
of the newly formed Victoria Police
Victoria Police is the primary law enforcement agency of the Australian States and territories of Australia, state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. It was formed in 1853 and currently operates under the ''Victoria Police Act 2013''.
, Victo ...
, commencing on 8 January 1853, amalgamating all the previous colonial police forces.
During his leadership, the force increased from 700 to 2000 men, despite defections of large numbers who joined the gold rush
A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, New Z ...
.
He succeeded in successfully reorganizing the force and practically stamping out bushranging
Bushrangers were originally escaped convicts in the early years of the British settlement of Australia who used the bush as a refuge to hide from the authorities. By the 1820s, the term had evolved to refer to those who took up "robbery under ...
.
During his leadership the situation on the gold fields of Ballarat deteriorated culminating in the Battle of Eureka Stockade on 4 December 1854.
Mitchell resigned the position in 1854 and was succeeded as Chief Commissioner by Captain Charles MacMahon.
The Mitchells then paid a visit to England during 1854–55.
A subsequent Commission of Inquiry criticized the handling of the disturbances and resulted in a drastic reduction of police numbers.
Mitchell returned to Victoria towards the end of 1855, and in 1856 was elected a member of the Victorian Legislative Council, when responsible government
Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability, the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy. Governments (the equivalent of the executive bran ...
was instituted in Victoria, as one of the members for North-Western Province.[
Mitchell was defeated at an election held in 1858, but was returned at the next election, and held a Council seat until his death in 1884. In 1882 he transferred from North-West Province to the new Northern Province.] He was honorary minister in the first William Haines
Charles William Haines (January 2, 1900 – December 26, 1973) was an American actor and interior designer.
Haines was discovered by a talent scout and signed with Goldwyn Pictures in 1922. His career gained momentum when he received favo ...
ministry from 28 November 1855 to 1 March 1857, Postmaster-General
A Postmaster General, in Anglosphere countries, is the chief executive officer of the postal service of that country, a Ministry (government department), ministerial office responsible for overseeing all other postmasters. The practice of having ...
in the second Haines ministry from 29 April 1857 to March 1858, and showed himself to be an able administrator. Mitchell was minister for railways in the John O'Shanassy
Sir John O'Shanassy, KCMG (18 February 1818 – 5 May 1883), was an Irish-Australian politician who served as the 2nd Premier of Victoria. O'Shanassy was born near Thurles in County Tipperary, Ireland, the son of a surveyor, and came to the Po ...
ministry from 30 December 1861 until the government was defeated on 27 June 1863 over land reform. He did not hold office again.
During the conflict between the Legislative Assembly and the Council Mitchell was one of the leaders of the council, and in 1868 was responsible for the act which reduced the qualification of council members and electors. He was elected second President of the Victorian Legislative Council
The President of the Victorian Legislative Council, also known as the presiding officer of the council, is the presiding officer of the Victorian Legislative Council, the upper house of the Parliament of Victoria and equivalent to the President of ...
on 27 October 1870, and carried out his duties with ability, decision and courtesy. In the struggle with the assembly he fought for the privileges of the council, and advocated that the qualifications for both members and electors be further reduced.
Mitchell 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 ...
on 17 July 1875 by letters patent while president of the Legislative Council.[
Mitchell died after a short illness at Barfold, near ]Kyneton
Kyneton ( ) is a town in the Macedon Ranges region of Victoria, Australia. The Calder Freeway bypasses Kyneton to the north and east. Kyneton is on Dja Dja Wurrung, Taungurung and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung country.
The town has four main streets: ...
, on 24 November 1884.[
]
He was survived by 9 children, including the prominent lawyer Sir Edward Fancourt Mitchell.
Notes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, William Henry Fancourt
1811 births
1884 deaths
Victoria (Australia) state politicians
English emigrants to Australia
Australian Knights Bachelor
Australian politicians awarded knighthoods
Presidents of the Victorian Legislative Council
Chief Commissioners of Victoria Police
19th-century Australian politicians
19th-century Australian public servants