Australian politician (1864?1926)
Austin Chapman
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In office
9 February 1923 ? 26 May 1924
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Prime Minister
| Stanley Bruce
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Preceded by
| Walter Massy-Greene
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Succeeded by
| Herbert Pratten
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In office
9 February 1923 ? 26 May 1924
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Prime Minister
| Stanley Bruce
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Preceded by
| Arthur Rodgers
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Succeeded by
| Herbert Pratten
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In office
30 July 1907 ? 13 November 1908
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Prime Minister
| Alfred Deakin
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Preceded by
| William Lyne
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Succeeded by
| Frank Tudor
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In office
5 July 1905 ? 30 July 1907
|
Prime Minister
| Alfred Deakin
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Preceded by
| Sydney Smith
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Succeeded by
| Samuel Mauger
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In office
24 September 1903 ? 27 April 1904
|
Prime Minister
| Alfred Deakin
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Preceded by
| James Drake
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Succeeded by
| Anderson Dawson
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In office
29 March 1901 ? 12 January 1926
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Preceded by
| New seat
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Succeeded by
| John Perkins
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Born
| (
1864-07-10
)
10 July 1864
Bong Bong
, Colony of
New South Wales
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Died
| 12 January 1926
(1926-01-12)
(aged 61)
Sydney, Australia
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Political party
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Spouse
|
Catherine O'Brien
(
m.
)
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Relations
| Albert Chapman
(brother)
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Children
| 4, including
John
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Occupation
| Company director
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Sir Austin Chapman
KCMG
(10 July 1864 – 12 January 1926) was an Australian politician who served in the
House of Representatives
from 1901 until his death in 1926. He held ministerial office in the governments of
Alfred Deakin
and
Stanley Bruce
, serving as
Minister for Defence
(1903?1904),
Postmaster-General
(1905?1907),
Minister for Trade and Customs
(1907?1908, 1923?1924), and
Minister for Health
(1923?1924).
Early life
[
edit
]
Chapman was born on 10 July 1864 in
Bong Bong, New South Wales
. He was the son of Monica (nee Cain; also spelt Kean or Kein) and Richard Chapman, his father being a wheelwright and publican. His mother was born in Ireland. His given name was spelled "Austen" until 1897.
[1]
Chapman attended the state school in
Marulan
until the age of 14, when he was apprenticed to a
saddler
working in
Goulburn
and
Mudgee
. By 1885 he was operating Chapman's Hotel in
Bungendore
, close to the eventual site of Canberra. Chapman moved to Sydney in 1887 and went into partnership with
Edward William O'Sullivan
in an auctioneering firm, of which he was managing partner. He was also the proprietor of the Emu Inn on
Bathurst Street
. His partnership with O'Sullivan was dissolved in 1889, and he subsequently established the Royal Hotel in
Braidwood
.
[1]
New South Wales politics
[
edit
]
In 1891 Chapman was elected to the
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
as MLA for
Braidwood
.
[2]
He was an active supporter of
federation of the Australian colonies
.
[1]
Federal politics
[
edit
]
In
1901
Chapman was elected to the first
House of Representatives
as MP for the
Division of Eden-Monaro
(his brother
Albert
succeeded him as the member for Braidwood in the New South Wales Parliament). A
Protectionist
, he was
Minister for Defence
in the first ministry of
Alfred Deakin
(1903?04),
Postmaster-General
in the second Deakin ministry (1905?08), and
Minister for Trade and Customs
from 1907 to 1908. After a long period on the backbench as a result of a stroke in 1909, which paralysed one of his arms, he was appointed Minister for Trade and Customs and
Minister for Health
in the
Bruce
government
in February 1923. He was criticised by both
Nationalists
and the
Country Party
and he resigned in May 1924 on the grounds of ill health and was subsequently made a
KCMG
.
[1]
Chapman had a significant role during the selection of Australia's national capital site,
Canberra
. A strong advocate for the rival site of
Dalgety
?legislated as the capital site by the
Seat of Government Act 1904
?he stated in August 1906 that, "I will defend Dalgety to the end. Any change from the selection already made can only be achieved over my political corpse."
[3]
In early 1908, he conceded that Canberra was "the second best site, but Dalgety easily stands first."
[4]
As the process finally reached its conclusion, later in 1908, Chapman was suffering ill health. In his absence, although he had been
paired
for the ballots so as not to prejudice the outcome, at the ninth ballot Dalgety went down to Yass-Canberra by 39 votes to 33.
[5]
[6]
However, once Canberra had been selected, Chapman strenuously advocated the development of the site on the
Molonglo River
near
Queanbeyan
, which like Dalgety was in his electorate.
[7]
The success of his efforts benefited many of his friends who owned land in the area, and also greatly boosted trade in Queanbeyan, the nearest town to the site. He was still MP for Eden-Monaro at the time of his death in Sydney on 12 January 1926 of cerebro-vascular disease, before he could sit in the first
Parliament House
in Canberra, which opened in May 1927. He was survived by his wife, two daughters and two sons, James Austin Chapman and
John Austin Chapman
who both became distinguished soldiers.
[1]
[8]
The Canberra suburb of
Chapman
was named after him.
[9]
References
[
edit
]
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