William Francis Telfer (21 August 1885 – 25 August 1955) was an Australian politician who was a member of the Legislative Assembly of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

from 1943 to 1947, representing the seat of Avon.

Biography

Telfer was born in

Gawler Gawler is the oldest country town on the Australian mainland in the state of South Australia. It was named after the second Governor (British Vice-Regal representative) of the colony of South Australia, George Gawler. It is about north of the ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

, to Ruth (née Penna) and George Wright Telfer. He and his father came to Western Australia in 1910, settling in the Wheatbelt town of Merredin. Telfer worked as a storekeeper and farmer, and in 1936 was elected to the Merredin Road Board, of which he would remain a member until 1955. From 1938, he served as the road board's chairman.William Francis Telfer
– Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 2 June 2016. Telfer was elected to parliament at the 1943 state election, defeating the sitting

Country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

member, Ignatius Boyle, by 15 votes. That result was subsequently overturned in the Court of Disputed Returns, but Telfer again defeated Boyle at the resulting by-election. At the 1947 election, which saw the defeat of the four-term Labor government, Telfer lost his seat to the new Country Party candidate,

George Cornell George Cornell (13 November 1927 – 10 March 1966) was an English criminal and member of The Richardsons, who were scrap metal dealers and criminals from South London. Cornell was shot and killed by Ronnie Kray at The Blind Beggar public hou ...

. He died in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

in August 1955, aged 70.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Telfer, William 1885 births 1955 deaths Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Western Australia Mayors of places in Western Australia Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly People from Gawler, South Australia 20th-century Australian politicians Western Australian local councillors