William Paterson (Australian politician)

William Paterson (4 June 1847 – 11 March 1920) was an Australian politician and businessman in Western Australia. He was a member of the unicameral Legislative Council from 1889 until its dissolution the following year, and then a member of the newly created Legislative Assembly from 1890 to 1895.

The Honourable William Paterson
Member of the Legislative Council of Western Australia
In office 30 January 1889 – 21 October 1890
Preceded by	Theodore Fawcett
Succeeded by	None (abolished)
Constituency	Murray and Williams
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia
In office 3 December 1890 – February 1895
Preceded by	None (new creation)
Succeeded by	William George
Constituency	Murray
Personal details
Born	4 June 1847 Pinjarra, Western Australia
Died	11 March 1920 (aged 72) Perth, Western Australia

Early life

Paterson was born in Pinjarra, in Western Australia's Peel region. He was educated in Fremantle and at Bishop Hale's School in Perth, and was then sent to a private school in Birmingham, England, where he stayed from 1862 to 1864. In 1872, after their father's death, Paterson and his brother took over the family property at Pinjarra. He was elected to the Murray Road Board in 1875, and remained a member until 1895. In 1886, Paterson relocated from Pinjarra to Jarrahdale, living on the property that would eventually become the Whitby Falls Hospital.[1]

Politics

Paterson was elected to the Legislative Council in 1889, following the resignation of Theodore Fawcett, and held the seat of Murray and Williams until the council was reformed following the advent of responsible government in 1890.[1] At the 1890 general election, he was elected to the new Legislative Assembly, representing the seat of Murray. He retained Murray at the 1894 election.[2]

Later years

Paterson resigned from parliament in February 1895 to become the managing trustee of the Agricultural Bank of Western Australia, and the following year moved to what is now Mosman Park (a western suburb of Perth). In 1901, he was elected to the Buckland Hill Road Board. Paterson eventually retired to South Perth. He died in March 1920, aged 72.[1]

References

1. William Paterson – Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
2. Black, David; Prescott, Valerie (1997). Election statistics : Legislative Assembly of Western Australia, 1890-1996. Perth, [W.A.]: Western Australian Parliamentary History Project and Western Australian Electoral Commission. ISBN 0730984095.