William Henry Moore (c. 1788 - 1854) was an English-Australian solicitor. He was the first free (non-convict) solicitor in the colony 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 ...

and was acting

Attorney-General of New South Wales The Attorney General of New South Wales, in formal contexts also Attorney-General or Attorney General for New South Wales and usually known simply as the Attorney General, is a minister in the Government of New South Wales who has responsibili ...

from October 1826 to July 1827 and again from January 1831 to June 1831, the latter stint coinciding with his role as Crown Solicitor from 1829 to 1834. Moore was born in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, son of a

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

solicitor, and was admitted as a solicitor himself in 1810. He was selected in 1814 (along with

Frederick Garling Frederick Garling (17 February 1775 – 2 May 1848) was an English attorney and solicitor, and was one of the first solicitors admitted in Australia and was regarded as the first senior solicitor of the second Supreme Court established in the co ...

) as one of two civilian solicitors to be sent to New South Wales to address problems with ex-convict lawyers previously engaged by the colony, and arrived in

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 ...

on 27 January 1815. He worked for the colonial government in various capacities for much of the period between 1815 and 1834, including two stints as acting Attorney-General. He had a difficult relationship with multiple colonial Governors and was criticised for his professional conduct on a number of occasions. Moore also developed a successful private practice, in part due to the colonial government's refusal to admit ex-convict lawyers to practice. Moore was a director of the

Commercial Banking Company of Sydney The Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited, also known as the CBC, or CBC Bank, was a bank based in Sydney, Australia. It was established in 1834, and in 1982 merged with the National Bank of Australasia to form National Australia Bank. Hi ...

from 1836 to 1842 and chairman of the Union Assurance Company from 1832, and bought and sold landholdings in and around Sydney. He was declared insolvent in 1843, was reportedly discharged from bankruptcy in 1845, and died in Sydney in 1854.

References

External links

Colonial Secretary's papers 1822-1877

State Library of Queensland The State Library of Queensland is the main reference and research library provided to the people of the State of Queensland, Australia, by the state government. Its legislative basis is provided by the Queensland Libraries Act 1988. It contai ...

- includes digitised letters written by Moore to the

Colonial Secretary of New South Wales Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 ...

regarding court matters {{DEFAULTSORT:Moore, William Henry Australian solicitors Attorneys General of New South Wales 1780s births 1854 deaths