William Pritchard Weston (28 November 1804 – 21 February 1888) was the third

Premier of Tasmania The premier of Tasmania is the head of the executive government in the Australian state of Tasmania. By convention, the leader of the party or political grouping which has majority support in the House of Assembly is invited by the governor of Ta ...

Early life

William Weston was born in

Shoreditch Shoreditch is a district in the East End of London in England, and forms the southern part of the London Borough of Hackney. Neighbouring parts of Tower Hamlets are also perceived as part of the area. In the 16th century, Shoreditch was an impor ...

, England, to John Weston, a surgeon. He was educated in Brighton and spent several years working in a merchant's counting house and in the wool trade. Weston emigrated to

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

in 1823, sailing aboard the ''Adrian'' with fellow passenger

George Arthur Sir George Arthur, 1st Baronet (21 June 1784 – 19 September 1854) was Lieutenant Governor of British Honduras from 1814 to 1822 and of Van Diemen's Land (present-day Tasmania) from 1823 to 1836. The campaign against Aboriginal Tasmani ...

, the new lieutenant-governor of Van Diemen's Land. Weston had more than ₤3000 and a letter of recommendation from a friend at the Colonial Office. Originally intending to travel on to Sydney, when the ship docked in Hobart, Weston decided to remain in Van Deimen's Land. On-board, he had met Captain William Clark, whose daughter Ann he went on to marry in 1826 at the Clark's property 'Cluny' in Bothwell. Weston lived in Bothwell for several years, assisting Horace and Charles Rowcroft, with Charles writing about Weston in his book ''Tales of the Colonies'' (London, 1845). Weston purchased a property near

Longford Longford () is the county town of County Longford in Ireland. It has a population of 10,008 according to the 2016 census. It is the biggest town in the county and about one third of the county's population lives there. Longford lies at the meet ...

, and lived there for many years. He also received a grant of 2500 acres (10 km²). In Longford, Weston built a two storey Regency-style house 'Hythe' in Longford, which was started in 1831 and finished in 1834. He and his wife had eight children, with the eldest dying in infancy.

Public career

He was made a magistrate and with the Rev. John West took a prominent part in the formation of the anti-transportation league which between 1849 and 1853 had an important influence in the success of this movement. Holding office on two occasions. Weston was elected to parliament at the original opening, in 1856 in the electoral district of Ringwood. He served for a short term as Premier from 25 April 1857 until 12 May 1857. He resigned his seat in the

Tasmanian House of Assembly The House of Assembly, or Lower House, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Tasmania in Australia. The other is the Legislative Council or Upper House. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Hobart. The Assembly has 25 m ...

on 20 May 1857, instead taking a position in the

Tasmanian Legislative Council The Tasmanian Legislative Council is the upper house of the Parliament of Tasmania in Australia. It is one of the two chambers of the Parliament, the other being the House of Assembly. Both houses sit in Parliament House in the state capital, ...

as the member for

on 19 May 1857. He became Premier again on 1 November 1860 holding the position until 2 August 1861.

Later life

Ill-health forced him to resign from the

Tasmanian Parliament The Parliament of Tasmania is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Tasmania. It follows a Westminster-derived parliamentary system and consists of the Governor of Tasmania, the Tasmanian House of Assembly (the lower house), and ...

altogether in the 1860's. He later moved to

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 ...

, dying in St Kilda. He was survived by a son and five daughters, with his eldest son Edward inheriting his Longford property Hythe, and his second son Maurice inheriting the Cluny property in Bothwell from his Clark grandfather.

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Weston, William 1804 births 1888 deaths Premiers of Tasmania Members of the Tasmanian House of Assembly Members of the Tasmanian Legislative Council People from Shoreditch 19th-century Australian politicians English emigrants to colonial Australia