William Senior (29 March 1838 – 7 October 1920) was an Anglo-Australian journalist, angler, "Chief Hansard Short Hand Writer", co-founder of

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

's famed

Johnsonian Club Samuel Johnson (18 September 1709 – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. The ''Oxford D ...

, editor and writer of short stories, known also by his pen name "Red Spinner".

Biography

Senior was born in Sherborne, Dorset, England in 1838, son of Joseph Senior and wife Martha. Senior became the first officially appointed Principal Short Hand writer for the Parliament of Queensland's ''Hansard'' (record of proceedings). He had by then served ten years as a special correspondent and parliamentary reporter for the London ''Daily News'' and London special reporter for the ''

Manchester Examiner The ''Manchester Examiner'' was a newspaper based in Manchester, England, that was founded around 1845–1846. Initially intended as an organ to promote the idea of Manchester Liberalism, a decline in its later years led to a takeover by a group w ...

'' when he was employed (on the instigation of Queensland's Colonial Secretary and Premier,

Arthur Macalister Arthur Macalister, (18 January 1818 – 23 March 1883) was three times Premier of Queensland, Australia. Early life Macalister was born in Glasgow, Scotland, son of John Macalister, a cabinet maker, and his wife Mary, ''née'' Scoullar. M ...

and the Speaker,

William Henry Walsh William Henry Walsh (18 December 1823 – 5 April 1888) was an Australian pioneer pastoralist or squatter and politician in early Queensland. He was a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly 1859-1859, Member of the Queensland Leg ...

), as Queensland Parliament's first Short Hand Writer on 13 January 1876. He was an able writer who produced in his spare time a number of short stories for the ''Queenslander'' during his time in office, simultaneously being a Queensland correspondent for his old journal the London ''Daily News''. Grave of William Senior in Highgate Cemetery

Grave of William Senior in Highgate Cemetery

Senior returned to England in April 1881 where he took up his old profession as a journalist on the ''Daily News'' and editor. He became editor-in-chief of the sports journal '' The Field'', of which he was formerly the angling editor. He wrote and edited this journal for over twenty-five years, still frequently using his old

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

"Red Spinner", simultaneously being for a number of years the London correspondent for the ''

Brisbane Courier ''The Courier-Mail'' is an Australian newspaper published in Brisbane. Owned by News Corp Australia, it is published daily from Monday to Saturday in tabloid format. Its editorial offices are located at Bowen Hills, in Brisbane's inner norther ...

''. He died in London on 7 October 1920, and was buried on the eastern side of

Highgate Cemetery Highgate Cemetery is a place of burial in north London, England. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East Cemeteries. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for some of the people buried there as ...

Books

* ''Notable Shipwrecks'', 1873 * ''Waterside sketches. A book for wanderers and anglers'', London 1875. * ''By stream and sea. A book for wanderers and anglers'', London 1877. * ''Anderton's Angling'', a novelette, 1878 * ''Travel and Trout in the Antipodes, 1880 * ''Scotch loch-fishing'' by "Black Palmer" seud. Edinburgh 1882. * ''Angling in Great Britain'', London 1883. * ''Sea fishing'' by "John Bickerdyke" seud.with contributions on "Antipodean and foreign fish" by W. Senior, "Tarpon" by A.C. Harmsworth, "Whaling" by Sir H.W. Gore-Booth, London 1895. * ''Pike and perch'' (with chapters by "John Bickerdyke" seud.and W. H. Pope, Cookery by Alexander Innes Shand; illustrated by George Roller and from photographs). London 1900 * ''Lines in Pleasant Places: Being the Aftermath of an Old Angler'', London 1920.

References

External links

Australasian & Pacific Hansard Editors Association
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Senior, William 1838 births 1920 deaths Burials at Highgate Cemetery Australian writers Australian editors English writers English editors