William McCulloch (22 October 1832 – 4 April 1909) was a pastoralist, businessman and politician in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, Australia.

Early life

Born in

Wigtownshire Wigtownshire or the County of Wigtown (, ) is one of the historic counties of Scotland, covering an area in the south-west of the country. Until 1975, Wigtownshire was an administrative county used for local government. Since 1975 the area has f ...

to Samuel McCulloch and his wife Helen, née McWhinnie, he arrived 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 1852 and successfully mined for gold at

Mount Alexander Mount Alexander is a mountain located approximately 125 km north-west of Melbourne, near the town of Harcourt. It rises 350 metres above the surrounding area to a level of 744 metres above sea level. Being a prominent local landmark, ...

Transport businesses

He joined McEwan and Co. as traveller and storekeeper. He noted the business opportunities offered by the lack of transport in the bush and established a carrying business with his brother in 1861, which carried huge quantities of wool from the

Riverina The Riverina is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales, Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation ...

district to the

Port of Melbourne The Port of Melbourne is the largest port for containerised and general cargo in Australia. It is located in Melbourne, Victoria, and covers an area at the mouth of the Yarra River, downstream of Bolte Bridge, which is at the head of Port Phill ...

. He was one of the founders in 1869, with Clapp and Hoyt, of the Melbourne Omnibus Company, which after a merger became the

Melbourne Tramway and Omnibus Company The Melbourne Tramway and Omnibus Company (MTOC) was the company which established and operated Melbourne's cable tram system from 1885 to 1916. History The MTOC was started by Francis Boardman Clapp, who had come to Australia from the United ...

, of which he was appointed a director. Finding his lucrative Riverina wool-carting business losing to the cheaper and quicker (comparatively) river steamers, he founded a paddle-steamer shipping service W. McCulloch and Company on the

River Murray The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray) (Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta: ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is Australia's longest river at extent. Its tributaries include five of the next six longest ...

in 1873 By 1877 it was one of the largest carriers on the Murray-Darling system, comparable with Francis Cadell's River Murray Navigation Co. This trade was in turn overtaken by the newly emerging railway network.

Pastoral and sporting

He founded stock agents McCulloch, Campbell and Company with James Callender Campbell (1838–1916) around 1868, and were shortly joined by Joseph Major Pratt (1834–1917). When McCulloch retired it became Campbell Pratt and Co., then Campbell and Sons in 1887. These businesses were closely tied with Kirk's Horse Bazaar, which was largely responsible for supplying horses to the omnibus company. He acquired pastoral property around 1870 and bred "Bates tribe"

shorthorn The Shorthorn breed of cattle originated in the North East of England in the late eighteenth century. The breed was developed as dual-purpose, suitable for both dairy and beef production; however, certain blood lines within the breed always emp ...

cattle, starting by importing the English bull "Rapid" in 1873, many more in 1879. He purchased ''Woodlands'', which was to be his home and judged one of the biggest and best in Victoria, in 1889. He bred racehorses (''Pilgrim's Progress'' and ''Caiman'' were notable sires, and his mare ''Bright Eyes'' had notable progeny.) He was involved in

coursing Coursing by humans is the pursuit of game or other animals by dogs—chiefly greyhounds and other sighthounds—catching their prey by speed, running by sight, but not by scent. Coursing was a common hunting technique, practised by the nobility, t ...

Politics

From 1872 to 1877 he was a Melbourne City Councillor, representing the Lonsdale Ward. In 1880 he was elected to the

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 ...

for Eastern Province, moving to

Gippsland Province Gippsland Province was an electorate of the Victorian Legislative Council from November 1882 until 2006. It was based in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. Gippsland Province was created in the redistribution of provinces in 1882 wh ...

in 1882 and serving until his resignation in 1903. He was minister without portfolio (1894–1895), then succeeded F. T. Sargood as Minister for Defence (1895–99, 1900–1901), a function which became redundant with the

Federation A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...

, and Minister for Health and Public Works (1900–1902). He was chosen as the representative of the State of Victoria for the

Coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra The coronation of Edward VII and his wife, Alexandra, as King and Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and as Emperor and Empress of India took place at Westminster Abbey, London, on 9 August 1902. Originally scheduled for 2 ...

, and arrived in London in late May 1902. The coronation was originally scheduled for late June, but the grave illness of the King forced a delay until August. While in the United Kingdom, McCulloch acted as Agent-General for Victoria (the incumbent had died the previous March), and also took time to visit Scotland and Ireland. He only returned to his home state in early October, having been re-elected to the Legislative Council while away.

Family

McCulloch married, in Scotland in 1860, Catherine Vans Agnew Christison, with whom he would have seven children. On 9 July 1897 his second daughter Helen Mary married Colonel H. A. Eagar ( – ca.18 February 1900), who died of injuries sustained at Stormberg during the

Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sou ...

. Elder son Samuel (ca.1862 – 16 December 1933), was a lawyer of Crowlands and Woodend who died after a shooting accident. Son Colin Christison McCulloch was owner and trainer of ''Lieutenant Bill'', winner of the 1902

Caulfield Cup The Caulfield Cup is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held under handicap conditions, although the Melbourne Racing Club is in the process of turning the race into weight for age (WFA) conditions. This is for all horses ...

. His daughter, Mrs. A. A. Laidlaw was a noted horsewoman. Youngest daughter Catherine Vans Agnew McCulloch died 19 December 1936.

Recognition

McCulloch was appointed Companion of the Order of the St Michael and St George in 1903 and died in 1909 at "Woodlands", Crowlands, near Ararat.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McCulloch, William 1832 births 1909 deaths Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly Australian Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Scottish emigrants to colonial Australia Politicians from Melbourne Victoria (Australia) local councillors 19th-century Australian politicians 19th-century Australian businesspeople