William Parker Henson (21 January 1905 – 21 September 1999) was an Australian

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...

representative who represented the

Civic Reform Association The Civic Reform Association, variously known as the Civic Reform Movement and the Citizens' Reform Association, was an Australian non-aligned ratepayers' organisation that was formed by approximately seventy people at the Sydney Town Hall on 20 ...

on the Council of the City of Sydney and as a

Councillor A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries. Canada Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...

and chairman of the

Sydney County Council The Sydney County Council (SCC) was formed in 1935 to produce electricity and operate the electricity network in a number of municipalities in metropolitan Sydney. Unlike other New South Wales county councils, which were voluntary associations o ...

.Sydney's Alderman – William Parker Henson
Retrieved 28 June 2013. In business and professional life he was an accountant and

company director A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

.Who's Who in Australia 1950 (Melb, 1950) pp 337
Retrieved 28 June 2013.

Early life

Henson was born in

Stanmore Stanmore is part of the London Borough of Harrow in London. It is centred northwest of Charing Cross, lies on the outskirts of the London urban area and includes Stanmore Hill, one of the highest points of London, at high. The district, which ...

, an inner-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales. He was the only son of Eustace Horatious Henson and Isabel (née Parker) and had an older sister, Jean, and a younger sister, Phillis. Henson attended his father's alma mater,

Newington College , motto_translation = To Faith Add Knowledge , location = Inner West and Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales , country = Australia , coordinates = , pushpin_map = A ...

(1918–1922), during the headmastership of the Rev Dr Charles Prescott. He continued to live in Stanmore until 1930.

Working life

After school, Henson studied to become a chartered accountant and was the senior partner in the Sydney-based firm of Henson Gates & Co. He was the managing director of William Andrews Printing Co Pty Ltd and a director of Howard Auto Cultivators Ltd and of Gosford Quarries Pty Ltd.

Sydney City Council

Henson was elected for Fitzroy

Ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

on the Council of the City of Sydney on 2 December 1944 and served until 31 December 1948. he was the elected for Macquarie Ward on 4 December 1948 and served until 1 December 1950. He again was elected for Fitzroy Ward on 2 December 1950 and served until 4 December 1953. He was the elected for City Ward on 5 December 1953 and served until 4 December 1959 before finally being elected for Gipps Ward on 5 December 1959 and serving until 30 November 1962. Henson was a member of the Finance Committee from 1945 until 1959 and was its vice-chairman in 1948. He served on the City Planning and Improvements Committee from 1945 until 1948 and again from 1949 until 1959, the Health and Recreations Committee in 1948 and from 1960 until 1962 and also on the Works Committee from 1960 until his retirement from council in 1962.

Sydney County Council

In 1946, Henson was elected as a Councillor on the Sydney County Council, which was the authority responsible for electricity supplies in Sydney. He continued to be an elected member of that council until 1966 and served as its Deputy chairman in 1948 and 1956 and chairman in 1950.

United Australia Party

Henson was a member of the

United Australia Party The United Australia Party (UAP) was an Australian political party that was founded in 1931 and dissolved in 1945. The party won four federal elections in that time, usually governing in coalition with the Country Party. It provided two prim ...

and ran in the

Electoral district of Hornsby Electoral district of Hornsby is an electoral district of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly in Australia. Hornsby is one of two post-1927 electorates to have never been held by the party and always by the Liberals, a predecessor party to ...

in 1938.

Community service

In 1942, Henson became a member of the NSW Board of the Federal Institute of Accountants and was vice-chairman in 1949. He was NSW State President of the Australian Society of Accountants from 1953 to 1954. Henson was an executive member of the Constitutional Association and Secretary of the NSW Health Week Committee.

Death

Henson died at his Epping home aged 95 and was cremated at the Northern Suburbs Crematorium. In lieu of flowers, it was requested that donations be sent to the Royal Blind Society.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Henson, William Parker 1905 births 1999 deaths People educated at Newington College Politicians from Sydney Sydney City Councillors Australian accountants Civic Reform Association politicians 20th-century Australian politicians Councillors of Sydney County Council