Frank Wilson (politician) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Frank Wilson
CMG
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Wilson c. 1911
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| 9th Premier of Western Australia | |
| In office 16 September 1910 – 7 October 1911 |
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| Monarch | George V |
| Governor | Sir Gerald Strickland |
| Preceded by | Newton Moore |
| Succeeded by | John Scaddan |
| In office 27 July 1916 – 28 June 1917 |
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| Monarch | George V |
| Governor | Sir Harry Barron Sir William Ellison-Macartney |
| Preceded by | John Scaddan |
| Succeeded by | Henry Lefroy |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia |
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| In office 6 May 1897 – 24 April 1901 |
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| Preceded by | None (new seat) |
| Succeeded by | None (abolished) |
| Constituency | Canning |
| In office 24 April – 6 December 1901 |
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| Preceded by | Lyall Hall |
| Succeeded by | William Purkiss |
| Constituency | Perth |
| In office 28 June 1904 – 29 September 1917 |
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| Preceded by | Henry Yelverton |
| Succeeded by | William Pickering |
| Constituency | Sussex |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 12 May 1859 Monkwearmouth, County Durham, England |
| Died | 7 December 1918 (aged 59) Claremont, Western Australia, Australia |
Frank Wilson (born 12 May 1859 – died 7 December 1918) was an important politician in Western Australia. He served as the ninth Premier of Western Australia, which is like being the leader of the state government. He held this top job twice: first from 1910 to 1911, and then again from 1916 to 1917.
Contents
Early Life and Career
Frank Wilson was born in Monkwearmouth, Sunderland, England, on 12 May 1859. He went to school in Sunderland, then in Neuwied, Germany, and finally at Wesley College in Sheffield.
After school, he learned about shipbroking and timber. When he was 19, he started an engineering business with his brother. This business lasted eight years. In 1886, a big strike caused their company to lose a lot of money.
The next year, Frank Wilson moved to Queensland, Australia. He ran his own business there. Later, he managed a large company that built railways and made flour. In 1891, he moved to Perth, Western Australia. He became the managing director of a timber company, a job he kept until 1899. He also worked for many other companies and helped people with mining. For many years, he led the Timber Merchants and Saw Millers' Association. From 1899 to 1902, he was the president of the Perth Chamber of Commerce.
Starting in Politics
Frank Wilson began his political journey in 1895. He was elected to the Perth City Council. This was his first step into public service.
Two years later, in 1897, he was elected to the Western Australian Legislative Assembly. This is like the state parliament. He represented the Canning area. At this time, he was part of the opposition, meaning he was not in the government.
In 1901, his Canning seat was removed. So, he successfully ran for the Perth seat instead. In November 1901, he became a minister in the government. He was in charge of railways and mines. However, he lost his seat in the next election.
After trying for another seat in 1902, he was elected to the Sussex seat in 1904. He held this seat for more than 13 years. From 1905 to 1906, he was the Minister for Works. This meant he was responsible for public buildings and projects. He also served as Colonial Treasurer, Minister for Agriculture, and Minister for Education. For a short time in 1910, he was even acting Premier.
Leading Western Australia
First Time as Premier (1910-1911)
On 16 September 1910, the Premier, Newton Moore, resigned due to health reasons. Frank Wilson then became the new Premier and Colonial Treasurer. During his time as Premier, his government passed laws to create the University of Western Australia. This was a very important step for education in the state. He also started a bill to change how voting areas were divided. In June 1911, he was awarded the CMG honor.
Wilson remained Premier until the election on 7 October 1911. His government lost badly to the Labour party. After this, he became the Leader of the Opposition. This meant he led the main party not in power. He held this role until July 1916. During this time, he helped set up the Senate of the University of Western Australia. He also represented Western Australia at the coronation of King George V in England in 1911.
Second Time as Premier (1916-1917)
In the 1914 election, the Labour party won again, but with a smaller lead. Over the next two years, two Labour members left parliament. Labour lost the elections to replace them. By November 1916, the Labour government had only 24 seats out of 50.
On 27 July 1916, the Liberal and Country parties worked together to defeat the Labour government. The Premier, John Scaddan, resigned. The governor did not allow a new election. So, Frank Wilson became Premier for the second time.
Even though the Country Party helped Wilson become Premier, they did not want to join his government. They also did not always support his decisions. At one point in February 1917, Wilson offered to resign, but the governor refused.
Around this time, federal politics was changing. A "nationalist movement" was forming, especially because of debates about conscription (forcing people to join the army). There was pressure for Wilson to form a Nationalist Party in Western Australia. This pressure grew after Billy Hughes's Nationalist Party won the federal election in May 1917.
Later that month, Wilson called a meeting of Liberal, Country Party, and National Labor members. They formed a Nationalist Party. However, in early June, the new party members voted to choose their ministers by election. Wilson and three of his ministers left the meeting because they knew this meant they would be removed. Two weeks later, Henry Lefroy was chosen as the new leader of the party. This left Wilson with no choice but to resign as Premier. He did so on 28 June 1917.
He then sat as an independent politician. In the election on 29 September 1917, he lost his seat by only four votes.
Later Life and Death
Frank Wilson was married to Annie Phillips, and they had nine children. One of their children, Linley Wilson, became a well-known dancing teacher.
Wilson's health had not been good for some time. After the 1917 election, he became very ill and had surgery. He passed away in Claremont, Western Australia on 7 December 1918. He was buried at Karrakatta Cemetery.
