View source for John Williams (New South Wales colonial politician)

{{Short description|Australian politician}}
{{about|the member of the Legislative Council|the member for Murray-Darling|John Williams (New South Wales state politician)|the senator for NSW|John Williams (Australian senator)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Use Australian English|date=August 2021}}
'''John Williams''' (18 February 1821{{spaced ndash}}20 October 1891) was a [[Crown Solicitor for New South Wales|Crown Solicitor]], politician and mayor in colonial New South Wales.
==Early life==
Williams was born on 18 February 1821 in Liverpool, England, the son of John W Williams. Williams arrived in Sydney with his family at an early age and was educated in the colony. In 1848 at St James Church of England in Sydney, he married Mary Elizabeth Green. They had at least three sons and two daughters.<ref name="Dictionary of Sydney"/><ref name="Syd Mail obituary">{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article162172646 |title=The late Mr John Williams. |newspaper=[[The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser]]|date=31 October 1891 |access-date=25 February 2021 |page=979 |via=Trove}}</ref>
==Initial career==
Williams was articled to [[George Nichols (Australian politician)|George Nichols]] and was admitted to practice as a solicitor in the Supreme Court on 16 May 1842. In February 1844 he was in practice in Macquarie Street and was gazetted to practice in the Court of Requests. He was for a time in partnership with [[Richard Driver]], who was another of Nichols's proteges. One of Williams's articled clerks was [[James Martin (premier)|James Martin]], who went on to become [[Chief Justice of New South Wales|Chief Justice]] and [[Premier of New South Wales]].<ref name="Dictionary of Sydney"/>
==Politics==
He was a member of [[City of Sydney|Sydney City Council]] from 1849 to 1853 and from 1857 to 1861, and served as [[Mayor of Sydney|mayor]] in 1858.<ref name="Dictionary of Sydney">{{cite web |first=Terri |last=McCormack |title=John Williams |url=https://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/williams_john |website=Dictionary of Sydney |publisher=City of Sydney |access-date=25 February 2021}}</ref> He unsuccessfully stood as a candidate at the [[1858 New England and Macleay colonial by-election|1858 by-election for New England and Macleay]].<ref name="Nominations">{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article188981422 |title=Nomination and election for New England and MacLeay |newspaper=[[The Armidale Express and New England General Advertiser]] |date=4 December 1858 |access-date=25 February 2021 |page=4 |via=Trove}}</ref> In May 1861 he was one of [[Charles Cowper]]'s 21 appointments to the [[New South Wales Legislative Council|Legislative Council]] on the day before the five year terms ended, but the adjournment of the council meant that he never took his seat.<ref name=nsw>{{cite NSW Parliament |title=Mr John Williams (1821–1891) |id=510 |former=Yes|access-date=15 June 2019}}</ref>
==Crown solicitor==
He was Crown Solicitor from 1 June 1859,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article228717750 |title=Appointment of John Williams to be Crown Solicitor |newspaper=[[New South Wales Government Gazette]] |issue=104 |date=7 June 1859 |access-date=25 February 2021 |page=1253 |via=Trove}}</ref> until 8 October 1891.<ref name="Syd Mail obituary"/> He was a founding councillor of the Law Institute of 1862 and first president of the [[Law Society of New South Wales|Incorporated Law Institute]], holding office from 1884 to 1891. On 1 January 1885 he was appointed to the five-member Civil Service Board and was appointed chairman in 1889.
From 1863, Williams had offices in William Street East, while his residence was Kurraghein, at 66 Bayswater Road, [[Darlinghurst, New South Wales|Darlinghurst]].<ref name="Dictionary of Sydney"/>
==Death==
Williams died in [[Sydney]] on {{death date and age|1891|10|20|1821|2|18|df=y}} and was buried in the family vault in the old Church of England section of [[Rookwood Cemetery]].<ref name="Dictionary of Sydney"/>
==References==
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{{CC-notice|cc=bysa2|url=http://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/williams_john|author(s)=Terri McCormack at the [[Dictionary of Sydney]]}}
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{{s-start}}
{{s-civ}}
{{s-bef|before=[[George Thornton (Australian politician)|George Thornton]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Mayor of Sydney]]|years=1858}}
{{s-aft|after=[[George Smith (Sydney mayor)|George Smith]]}}
{{s-legal}}
{{s-bef|before2=William <!-- Whaley -->Billyard |before=John <!-- Moore -->Dillon}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Crown Solicitor for New South Wales]] |years=1859{{spaced ndash}}1891}}
{{s-aft|after=Ernest <!-- Augustus -->Smith}}
{{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, John}}
[[Category:1821 births]]
[[Category:1891 deaths]]
[[Category:19th-century Australian politicians]]
[[Category:Mayors and Lord Mayors of Sydney]]
[[Category:Members of the New South Wales Legislative Council]]