William McLellan (12 August 1831 – 12 April 1906) was a mining agent and politician in colonial

Victoria (Australia) Victoria is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state with a land area of , the second most populated state (after New South Wales) with a population of over 6.5 million, and the most densely populated state in ...

, Minister of Mines in the 1870s.

Early life

McLennan was born in

Crieff Crieff (; gd, Craoibh, meaning "tree") is a Scottish market town in Perth and Kinross on the A85 road between Perth and Crianlarich, and the A822 between Greenloaning and Aberfeldy. The A822 joins the A823 to Dunfermline. Crieff has become ...

Perthshire Perthshire (locally: ; gd, Siorrachd Pheairt), officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, ...

, Scotland, the son of Peter McLellan and Margaret, née ''Sim''. He left Scotland in June 1850 for the

Port Phillip District The Port Phillip District was an administrative division of the Colony of New South Wales from 9 September 1836 until 1 July 1851, when it was separated from New South Wales and became the Colony of Victoria. In September 1836, NSW Colonial Sec ...

, then a portion of

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 ...

. When gold was discovered by

Edward Hargraves Edward Hammond Hargraves (7 October 1816 – 29 October 1891) was a gold prospector who claimed to have found gold in Australia in 1851, starting an Australian gold rush. Early life Edward Hammond Hargraves was born on 7 October 1816 in Gosp ...

, he went to Summer Hill and Turon diggings, New South Wales, and worked with some success. Returning to Victoria in July 1851, on discovery of gold there, he went to Ballarat and Forest Creek, and was amongst the first pioneers of

Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban population of 100,991, makin ...

, where he worked at Golden Gully. After an extensive experience on the principal diggings, McLellan settled in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

in 1853. In 1857, the time of the Canton Lead, he proceeded to Ararat, where fifty thousand miners were collected, and was elected a member of the Mining Board.

Political career

McLellan was elected to the seat of Ararat in October 1859, the amended Constitution Act having made Ararat an electoral district returning two members, and McLennan was returned to the Assembly by a large majority. McLellan represented Ararat till the general election in May 1877, when he was beaten by

David Gaunson David Gaunson (19 January 1846 – 2 January 1909) was an Australian politician and criminal solicitor who conducted the defence of the infamous Australian bushranger, Ned Kelly in the pre-trial stages. Early life Gaunson was born in Sydn ...

by five votes. He had in the meantime been a member of three Ministries, taking office first as successor to Mr. I. G. Reeves as

Commissioner of Public Works The Walsh Act is a legislation in the U.S. state of New Jersey that permits municipalities to adopt a non-partisan commission form of government. The legislation was signed by Governor of New Jersey Woodrow Wilson on April 25, 1911. The commissi ...

and Vice-President of the Board of Land and Works in January 1870, and retiring with his chief,

John Alexander MacPherson John Alexander MacPherson (15 October 1833 – 17 February 1894), Australian colonial politician, was the 7th Premier of Victoria. MacPherson was born at his father's property of ''Springbank'' on the Limestone Plains, in New South Wales ( ...

, in April of the same year. He was subsequently Minister of Mines, under

Charles Gavan Duffy Sir Charles Gavan Duffy, KCMG, PC (12 April 1816 – 9 February 1903), was an Irish poet and journalist (editor of ''The Nation''), Young Irelander and tenant-rights activist. After emigrating to Australia in 1856 he entered the politics of ...

from June 1871 to June 1872 and under Sir

James McCulloch Sir James McCulloch, (18 March 1819 – 31 January 1893), British colonial politician, was the fifth Premier of Victoria. Early life McCulloch was born in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland. He was the son of George McCulloch, a quarry master a ...

from October 1875 to May 1877. McLellan remained out of Parliament till 1883, when he was re-elected for Ararat. He occupied the position of Chairman of Committees of the Legislative Assembly till 1892. He remained member for Ararat until September 1897. McLellan died on 12 April 1906 in

Fitzroy North, Victoria Fitzroy North is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cites of Merri-bek and Yarra local government areas. Fitzroy North recorded a population of 12, ...

, Australia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McLennan, William 1831 births 1906 deaths Scottish emigrants to colonial Australia Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly 19th-century Australian politicians Ministers for Public Works (Victoria) Ministers of Mines (Victoria)