Mr Bernhard Ringrose WISE (1858 - 1916)**

Date of Birth: 10/02/1858 Place of Birth: Petersham, New South Wales, Australia Date of Death: 19/09/1916 Place of Death: London, England

Parliamentary Service

Position Start End Period Notes Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly 5 Feb 1887 30 Oct 1900 13yr(s) 8mth(s) 26day(s) Member of the NSW Legislative Council 30 Oct 1900 10 Mar 1908 7yr(s) 4mth(s) 10day(s) Life Appointment under the Constitution Act. Date of Writ of Summons 30 October 1900. Granted retention of title of 'Honourable' for life. Member for South Sydney 5 Feb 1887 31 May 1887 3mth(s) 27day(s) 13th (1887 - 1889) Member for South Sydney 4 Jun 1887 19 Jan 1889 1yr(s) 7mth(s) 16day(s) 13th (1887 - 1889) Member for South Sydney 17 Jun 1891 25 Jun 1894 3yr(s) 9day(s) 15th (1891 - 1894) Member for Sydney-Flinders 17 Jul 1894 5 Jul 1895 11mth(s) 19day(s) 16th (1894 - 1895) Member for Ashfield 27 Jul 1898 14 Sep 1899 1yr(s) 1mth(s) 19day(s) 18th (1898 - 1901) Member for Ashfield 26 Sep 1899 30 Oct 1900 1yr(s) 1mth(s) 5day(s) Attorney General 27 May 1887 7 Feb 1888 8mth(s) 12day(s) Attorney General 14 Sep 1899 14 Jun 1904 4yr(s) 9mth(s) 1day(s) Minister of Justice 22 Jul 1901 14 Jun 1904 2yr(s) 10mth(s) 24day(s) Acting Premier 27 Feb 1904 25 Mar 1904 28day(s) Acting Premier 4 Apr 1904 27 May 1904 1mth(s) 24day(s) Library Committee No.4 15 Mar 1887 13 Jul 1887 3mths 29days 13th (1887 - 1889) Library Committee No.3 21 Sep 1887 24 Jul 1888 10mths 4days 13th (1887 - 1889) Pharmaceutical Society of New South Wales Incorporation Bill Committee No.8 28 Sep 1887 18 Oct 1887 21days 13th (1887 - 1889) Land resumed by the Government for Railway purposes at Bexley Committee No.34 16 Dec 1887 24 Jul 1888 7mths 9days 13th (1887 - 1889) Library Committee No.3 24 Oct 1888 27 Jan 1889 3mths 4days 13th (1887 - 1889) Elections and Qualifications Committee No.5 16 Jul 1891 18 Aug 1892 1yr 1mth 3days 15th (1891 - 1894) Library Committee No.3 28 Jul 1891 1 Apr 1892 8mths 5days 15th (1891 - 1894) Operation of the Shipping Laws Committee No.6 23 Jan 1894 5 Jun 1894 4mths 14days 16th (1894 - 1895) Elections and Qualifications No. 5 7 Aug 1894 5 Jul 1895 10mths 29days 16th (1894 - 1895) Illawarra Harbour and Land Corporation Act Further Amendment Bill Committee No.22 2 Dec 1898 6 Dec 1898 5days 18th (1898 - 1901) Church of England Property Trust, Diocese of Goulburn Committee No.24 5 Oct 1900 5 Dec 1900 2mths 1day 18th (1898 - 1901)

Political Party Activity

Freetrade.

Qualifications, occupations and interests

Lawyer (barrister). Educated at Rugby School, London and Queens College in Oxford (BA 1881). Called to Bar at Middle Temple in 1883. Returned to New South Wales and was called to the Bar in 1883; practised, examiner in law and classics at the University of Sydney; Queens Counsel in 1898. After losing office teavelled overseas and returned to England. Seat in the Legislative Council was declared vacant through absence in 1908. Agent General for New South Wales from 1915 until 1916. As a young man in England was president of the Oxford Union in 1881 and President of the Athletic Club. Amateur mile champion of Great Britain. First president of the Amateur Athletic Association. In New South Wales helped to found the Prisoners Aid Association, was president from 1905 until 1906; trustee of National Art Gallery of New South Wales from 1889 until 1908; delegate to federal Convention from 1897 until 1898; member of editorial committee; chairman on Royal Commission on Broken Hill Mining Industry of 1914. Member of Australia Club. Author of many articles and pamphlets.

Personal

Son of Edward Wise and Maria Smith. Married Lillian Margaret Baird in 1884 and had issue, 1 son.

Additional Information

J. A. Ryan, "Bernhard Ringrose Wise", Journal of the Royal Historical Society, Volume 81, Part 1, June 1995, pp. 71 - 84 Personal papers in the Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales: 1. Bernard Ringrose Wise - papers, 1879 - 1915 (MLMSS 6107); photographs in the PICMAN Database. 2. B.R Wise - papers, 1889 - 1900 (MLMSS 394 (cat). 3. Bernhard Ringrose Wise - papers 1889 - 1904, 1914 (A2646). 4. Bernhard Ringrose Wise - papers, 1874 - 1892 (MLMSS 1327). 5. Bernhard Ringrose Wise - scrapbook, 1885 - 1909 (MLMSS 2852)

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