James Rodd (Australian politician)

James Rodd (1830 – 31 March 1900) was an English-born Australian politician.

Early life

He was born at Rayleigh in Essex to James Rodd and Ann Alabaster. He migrated to Sydney in 1857 and went to the goldfields at Braidwood, where he opened a store. On 11 June 1861 he married Jane Gregson, with whom he had a son; both mother and son died soon after birth. He remarried Ellen Alicia Madden on 23 September 1871. In 1866 he was appointed a magistrate.

Politics

He was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for Goldfields South in 1865.[1] In 1867 a Royal Commission was appointed to enquire into crime in the Braidwood district,[2] in reference to the crimes of the bushrangers the Clarke brothers, and whether police and magistrates had been diligent in seeking to apprehend them. Rodd's electorate included the Braidwood goldfields and he gave evidence before the commission which was critical of magistrate Rowland Hassall. The commissioners reported that Hassall "has refrained from taking any open or active part against the bushrangers or their associates, to preserve himself and his property from outrage and depredation. He has throughout evaded his duty as a Magistrate, by systematically abstaining from adjudicating, or in any way taking part in cases against such offenders or their connections".[3] Hassall subsequently sued Rodd for slander in relation to his evidence before the royal commission.[4] The case was prosecuted by the current and 2 former Attorneys General, Sir William Manning QC, John Darvall QC and Sir James Martin QC.[5] Rodd was represented by Henry Stephen and Edward Butler, instructed by Joseph Leary, in successfully defending the case in a trial lasting 15 days.[6] Rodd incurred costs of £1,947 9s 3d, recovering £1,171 0s 5d from Hassall. In 1871 he sought that the government pay the balance of £755 6s, which was initially refused,[7] however the parliament authorised the expenditure in January 1873.[8]

He did not contest the 1869 election. In 1872 he unsuccessfully stood for The Nepean,[9] before being elected for Goldfields North.[10] He was bankrupted in 1874 and forced to resign.[11]

By 1880 he was working in Sydney as an auctioneer.[11]

Rodd died in 1900 (aged 69–70).[11]

References

1. Green, Antony. "1865 Goldfields South". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
2. "Appointment of commissioners". New South Wales Government Gazette (20). 29 January 1867. p. 267. Retrieved 31 December 2020 – via Trove.
3. Cloete, Peter; Richardson, John; Campbell, David; Leary, Joseph & Fosbery, Edmund (30 July 1867). Report of the Royal Commission to enquire into crime in the Braidwood District (PDF). Votes and proceedings of the Legislative Assembly 1867-8. Vol 2. Parliament of New South Wales. pp. 115–125. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
4. "Great slander case Hassall v Rodd". The Sydney Morning Herald. 16 June 1869. p. 6. Retrieved 31 December 2020 – via Trove.
5. Rutledge, Martha. "Stephen, Sir Matthew Henry (1828–1920)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Melbourne University Press. ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 31 December 2020 – via National Centre of Biography, Australian National University.
6. "Hassall v Rodd". The Sydney Morning Herald. 18 June 1869. p. 5. Retrieved 31 December 2020 – via Trove.
7. Correspondence in relation to case Hassall v Rodd (PDF). Votes and proceedings of the Legislative Assembly 1872. Vol 1. Parliament of New South Wales. pp. 601–603. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
8. Hassall v Rodd bill of costs (PDF). Votes and proceedings of the Legislative Assembly 1872-3. Vol 1. Parliament of New South Wales. pp. 364 & 595-603. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
9. Green, Antony. "1872 Nepean". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
10. Green, Antony. "1872 Goldfields North". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
11. "Mr James Rodd (1830-1900)". Former Members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 10 June 2019.