William Bligh Henry O'Connell (26 January 1852 – 4 March 1903) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the

Queensland Legislative Assembly The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembly h ...

from 1888 to 1903, representing the electorate of Musgrave. He was Secretary of Lands in the

Philp Philp is a surname, and may refer to: * Chris Philp (born 1976), British entrepreneur and Conservative Party politician * Douglas Philp (born 1967), Scottish chemist * Geoffrey Philp (born 1958), Jamaican poet, novelist and playwright * Hugh Philp ...

government from 1899 until his death. O'Connell was born in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

, and was educated in England, returning to Australia at the age of eighteen. He worked for a time at Baramba Station, near Kilkivan, went to work as an aide to his uncle, Administrator of the Government

Maurice Charles O'Connell Sir Maurice Charles Philip O'Connell KCH (1768 – 25 May 1848) was a commander of forces and lieutenant-governor of colonial New South Wales. Early life Maurice Charles O'Connell was born in Ireland in 1768. He had had a distinguished caree ...

, and worked for the

Bank of New South Wales The Bank of New South Wales (BNSW), also known as The Wales, was the first bank in Australia. It was established in 1817 in Sydney. During the 19th century, the bank opened branches throughout Australia and New Zealand, expanding into Oceania ...

Bundaberg Bundaberg () is the major regional city in the Wide Bay-Burnett region of the state of Queensland, Australia. It is the List of cities in Australia by population, ninth largest city in the state. The Bundaberg central business district is situa ...

. He was then inspector of Pacific Islanders and assistant immigration agent for five years, before forming his own grocery, wine and spirit merchant firm at Bundaberg, O'Connell & Co. He was one of the first Bundaberg borough councillors in 1881. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly at the 1888 election as a supporter of

Thomas McIlwraith Sir Thomas McIlwraith (17 May 1835 – 17 July 1900) was for many years the dominant figure of colonial politics in Queensland. He was Premier of Queensland from 1879 to 1883, again in 1888, and for a third time in 1893. In common with most po ...

, and was re-elected in 1893, 1896, 1899 and 1902. He became Secretary of Lands under

Robert Philp Sir Robert Philp, (28 December 1851 – 17 June 1922) was a Queensland businessman and politician who was Premier of Queensland from December 1899 to September 1903 and again from November 1907 to February 1908. Early life Philp was born in G ...

in 1899, in which he was responsible for the passage of the ''Land Act 1902'', passed not long before his death. He died at St Helen's Private Hospital in 1903 while still in office. The funeral was held at St John's Cathedral, for which the Supreme Court adjourned as a mark of respect. He was buried at

Toowong Cemetery Toowong Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery on the corner of Frederick Street and Mt Coot-tha Road, Toowong, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was established in 1866 and formally opened in 1875. It is Queensland, Queensland's lar ...

References

Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly Colony of Queensland people 1852 births 1903 deaths 19th-century Australian politicians {{Australia-politician-stub