William John Wellington MP (1879 - 1939)

Born 10 Mar 1879 in Adelong, Colony of New South Wales

Ancestors

Husband of Violet Beatrice Annie (Ruthenberg) Wellington — married 10 Apr 1917 in Charters Towers, Queensland, Australia

Died 2 Mar 1939 at age 59 in Charters Towers, Queensland, Australia

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Arthur Wellington [send private message]

Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Charters Towers 1917 - 1939. Secretary of the Charters Towers Miners Union, or the Amalgalmated Workers Union from 1898 - 1913, during the Ravenswood Miners Strike of 1912.

Biography

William Wellington MP is Notable.

William Wellington MP was born in the Colony of New South Wales (1788-1900)

• William Wellington was born on the 10th of March 1879, at Adelong, Colony of New South Wales, the son of Joseph Wellington and Catherine Bennetts.^[1]
• The family moved to Charters Towers when William was small, and he attended Charters Towers State School. William lost a leg in a accident.
• 1894, 26 May:- A boy named William John Wellington, 15 years old, a son of Mr. Joseph Wellington, of Elizabeth-street, sustained dreadful injuries, on Saturday morning. He was in the employment of Mr. A. Bowry, and was returning on horseback from the Bonnie Dundee Mine to town, when he was stopped by the closed railway gates. For some reason he dismounted, and when the gates were again thrown open he attempted to remount, but as he was doing so the horse shied and threw him right in front of the wheel of a dray loaded with 4-1/2 tons of quartz. To stop the heavy dray at once was impossible, but with commendable presence of mind, the driver, whose name is stated to be Page - hit the shaft horse on the head, turned him abruptly and diverted the wheel from the boy's throat to his legs. The lad's screams were pitiful, and quickly attracted a large crowd. The wounds were hastily bound up, and the boy placed in Mr. Barn's cab and driven to the hospital, where he now lies in a very precarious condition. A small bone in the left leg is broken, and the muscles terribly lacerated, and the knee cap of the right is badly injured. Yesterday the little sufferer was conscious, and detailed how it happened, but last night he was delirious. The boy has a very good reputation and was well known for his obliging disposition and good manners. He was twelve months with Mr. W. Dawson, sharebroker, and for several months has been with Mr. A. Bowry.
• 1894, September:- THANKS; JOSEPH WELLINGTON wishes to express his thanks to Drs. Hare and Lister, to the nurses at the Hospital, and to the visiting public for the care and attention shown his son, William John Wellington, whilst an inmate at the Hospital.
• 1910:- Mining Lease; Lease No., 782; Goldfield, Ravenswood; County, Elphinstone; Parish, Cunningham; Area of Lease, 10 acres; Date of Lease, 3 February 1910; Yearly Rent of Lease, £10/0/0; Name of Lease, Welcome No 2 South; a sketch of the Lease is included.
• 1913:- WELLINGTON, William John, Elizabeth Street, Accountant.
• 1919:- WELLINGTON, William John, Occidental Hotel, Legislator.
• 1921:- WELLINGTON, William John, Rutherford Street, Legislator.
• William married Violet Ruthenberg on the 10th of April 1917 at Charters Towers, Queensland.^[2]
• They had:

1. Vera, b 1918.
2. Frank, b 1919. d 1966
3. Alan, b 1920. d 1933.
4. William John, b 1921.
5. Joseph Bennetts, b 1926, d 1985.

• William Wellington died during his time in office, as a Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Charters Towers, on the 2nd of March 1939, and was buried in the Charters Towers Cemetery.^[3]
• 1939, 2 March:- Death; Mr. W. J. Wellington, M.L.A., died at Charters Towers yesterday. He had been ill for several months, but an attack of pneumonia caused his death unexpectedly. He would have been aged 60 years on March 10. Mr. Wellington was a champion of mining men and a veteran Labour political representative. He was returned in the famous team of 1915. Of that team only two Government members - the Premier (Mr. Forgan Smith) and the Treasurer (Mr. Cooper) - now remain with uninterrupted service in the assembly. Mr. Wellington was not a speaker. His return to Parliament was the recognition for long and faithful service to the cause of miners at Charters Towers. He seldom spoke, except on mining legislation or on estimates affecting the work of his electorate, but he had friends in all parties who admired his earnest and warm-hearted nature. He was born at Adelong (New South Wales) and came to Charters Towers as a boy. At the age of 14 he met with an accident, which resulted in the loss of a leg. At the age of 19 he was appointed secretary of the Miner's Accident Association and the Australian Worker's Union (then the Associated Worker's Union), and he held these posts for many years. When he first stood for Parliament in 1915 he won the Charters Towers seat without difficulty, and with the exception of last year, he was opposed at every subsequent election, but held the seat with a comfortable majority. Mr. Wellington is survived by his widow and a family of six, the youngest being four years of age. The eldest son, Mr. Frank Wellington, is in the public service in Brisbane.
• PREMIER'S TRIBUTE. Speaking from Mackay last night the Premier (Mr. Forgan Smith) said that he regretted the passing of a sterling old friend. Mr. Wellington was a straightforward, fearless advocate of the people he was sent to Parliament to represent. He had a deep interest in the mining industry, and was particularly helpful in the framing of legislation bearing on it. His work regarding miner's phthisis and the compensation payable for it would be well remembered. The secretary of the Queensland Central Executive of the Labour Party (Mr. R. J. Carroll) said last night that Mr. Wellington had been a staunch Labour man, who had done useful work over a long period, and the party greatly regretted his death.
• Violet died in 1964.

Sources

1. ↑ New South Wales BMD Birth Index: Name: WELLINGTON, WILLIAM JOHN; Ref: 14648/1879; Parents: JOSEPH & CATHERINE JANE; Place: ADELONG.
2. ↑ Queensland BMD Marriage registration: Name: William John Wellington; Marriage date:10/04/1917; Spouse's name:Violet Beatrice Annie Ruthenberg; Registration details:1917/C/1157.
3. ↑ Queensland BMD Death registration: Name: William John Wellington; Death date:02/03/1939; Mother's name:Catherine Jane Bennetts; Father/parent's name:Joseph; Registration details:1939/C/619.

• "The Northern Miner" ... Charters Towers, Qld ... Monday, 28 May 1894. (p3): Column 5 under the Paper Name and Date.
• "The Northern Miner" Charters Towers, Qld ... Monday, 17 September 1894. (p4): THANKS.
• Commonwealth Electoral Rolls:- Kennedy Electorate; Charters Towers Sub-division.
• Queensland State Archives:- Mining Leases; Microfilm Z4884; MIN/N44 32; WELLINGTON, William John.
• "The Courier Mail" ... Brisbane, Qld ... Friday, 3 March 1939. (p3): VETERAN LABOUR M.L.A. DEAD.

See Also:

• Find a Grave, database and images  : accessed 29 August 2021), memorial page for William John Wellington (10 Mar 1879–2 Mar 1939), Find A Grave: Memorial #181815069, citing Charters Towers Monumental & Lawn Cemetery, Charters Towers, Charters Towers Region, Queensland, Australia ; Maintained by Greensteam (contributor 48657516) .
• William Wellington, wikipedia
• Ravenswood

Ravenswood Mining Landscape