William Edward Thurlow (1815−15 January 1873) was a politician and solicitor in colonial New South Wales. Thurlow was born in around 1815 and emigrated to Sydney aged years with his father, also called William Thurlow, and two of his brothers, arriving on 3 August 1825. The journey from London on board the ''William Shand'' had taken days, via

St Jago Santiago (Portuguese for “ Saint James”) is the largest island of Cape Verde, its most important agricultural centre and home to half the nation's population. Part of the Sotavento Islands, it lies between the islands of Maio ( to the east) ...

and Hobart. On 3 May 1837 he married Anne Jane James. He was admitted as a solicitor in September 1837, having worked for

William Wentworth William Charles Wentworth (August 179020 March 1872) was an Australian pastoralist, explorer, newspaper editor, lawyer, politician and author, who became one of the wealthiest and most powerful figures of early colonial New South Wales. Throug ...

and completed his articles with Charles Henry Chambers. He was elected a member of

Sydney City Council The City of Sydney is the local government area covering the Sydney central business district and surrounding inner city suburbs of the greater metropolitan area of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established by Act of Parliament in 1842, th ...

on 7 October 1843 for the Bourke Ward, a position he would hold until October 1853 when the council was abolished due to incompetence and corruption. He was elected as

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

on 21 January 1851 serving until his resignation in December 1852. He was elected to a further term as a councilor from 1 December 1857, serving until 30 November 1859. In March 1853 was the successful candidate at the by-election for a City of Sydney seat in the

New South Wales Legislative Council The New South Wales Legislative Council, often referred to as the upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of the Australian state of New South Wales. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in th ...

, with 1,249 votes (69.4%) defeating the young radical

Henry Parkes Sir Henry Parkes, (27 May 1815 – 27 April 1896) was a colonial Australian politician and longest non-consecutive Premier of the Colony of New South Wales, the present-day state of New South Wales in the Commonwealth of Australia. He has ...

. He served for less than two years, resigning in January 1855. Thurlow died at

Cundletown Cundletown is a town on the Mid North Coast, New South Wales, Australia. Cundletown and the nearby larger town of Taree were both settled in 1831 by William Wynter. Cundletown had a population of 2,054 as of the 2016 census. and is a significant ag ...

on 15 January 1873, aged 58 years.

References

Year of birth unknown Year of death missing Members of the New South Wales Legislative Council Mayors and Lord Mayors of Sydney {{Australia-politician-stub