Walter Horatio Wilson (15 July 1839 – 28 February 1902) was a lawyer and politician in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

, Australia. He was a

Member of the Queensland Legislative Council Following are lists of members of the Queensland Legislative Council The Queensland Legislative Council was the upper house of the parliament in the Australian state of Queensland. It was a fully nominated body which first took office on 1 May ...

from 1885 until 1902.

Early life

Wilson was born at

Rhosymedre Rhosymedre () is a village within the community of Cefn, in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. The Anglican church, which was consecrated in 1837, is dedicated to St John the Evangelist, and is part of the Diocese of St Asaph. Former vicars inclu ...

near Ruabon,

Denbighshire Denbighshire ( ; cy, Sir Ddinbych; ) is a county in the north-east of Wales. Its borders differ from the historic county of the same name. This part of Wales contains the country's oldest known evidence of habitation – Pontnewydd (Bontnewy ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

, and arrived in

Victoria (Australia) Victoria is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state with a land area of , the second most populated state (after New South Wales) with a population of over 6.5 million, and the most densely populated state in ...

in 1853.

Legal career

In 1865 he was admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of Queensland, and practised in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

Politics

Having been called to the

Queensland Legislative Council The Queensland Legislative Council was the upper house of the parliament in the Australian state of Queensland. It was a fully nominated body which first took office on 1 May 1860. It was abolished by the Constitution Amendment Act 1921, which to ...

in July 1885, he succeeded T. M. Patterson as Postmaster-General in the

Samuel Griffith Sir Samuel Walker Griffith, (21 June 1845 – 9 August 1920) was an Australian judge and politician who served as the inaugural Chief Justice of Australia, in office from 1903 to 1919. He also served a term as Chief Justice of Queensland and t ...

Government in August 1887, retiring with his colleagues in June 1888. Wilson was leader of the council from 1890 to 1894 and 1898, minister without portfolio 1890 to 1893 and 1894 to 1898, postmaster-general 1893 to 1894 and 1898, secretary for public instruction 1893 to 1894 and 1899 and Minister of Justice and

Attorney-General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

from 1898 to 1899. Wilson was a supporter of

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-govern ...

and was responsible for the standard of time bill in 1894.

Later life

Wilson died in Brisbane in 1902 and was buried in

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's largest ceme ...

.Wilson Walter Horatio
— Brisbane City Council Grave Location Search. Retrieved 22 February 2015.

References

1839 births 1902 deaths Members of the Queensland Legislative Council Attorneys-General of Queensland Burials at Toowong Cemetery Colony of Queensland people 19th-century Australian politicians {{australia-politician-stub