Sir (Alfred) Arthur Alfred Clement COCKS (1862 - 1943)**

Date of Birth: 27/05/1862 Place of Birth: Wild Duck Creek, near Heathcote, Victoria, Australia Date of Death: 25/04/1943 Place of Death: Mosman, New South Wales, Australia

Parliamentary Service

Position Start End Period Notes Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly 21 Oct 1910 14 Feb 1925 14yr(s) 3mth(s) 25day(s) Member for St Leonards 21 Oct 1910 6 Nov 1913 3yr(s) 17day(s) 22nd (1910 - 1913) Member for St Leonards 6 Dec 1913 21 Feb 1917 3yr(s) 2mth(s) 16day(s) 23rd (1913 - 1917) Member for St Leonards 24 Mar 1917 18 Feb 1920 2yr(s) 10mth(s) 26day(s) 24th (1917 - 1920) Member for North Shore 20 Mar 1920 17 Feb 1922 1yr(s) 10mth(s) 29day(s) 25th (1920 - 1922) Member for North Shore 25 Mar 1922 14 Feb 1925 2yr(s) 10mth(s) 21day(s) 26th (1922 - 1925) Colonial Treasurer 20 Dec 1921 20 Dec 1921 1day(s) Colonial Treasurer 13 Apr 1922 14 Feb 1925 2yr(s) 10mth(s) 2day(s)

Political Party Activity

Nationalist Party. Vice-president from 1921 until 1925. Councillor 1931 - 1932.

Community Activity

Commissioned as a Justice of the Peace in 1901. Member of the Sydney Rescue Society from 1905 until 1905. Chairman of the Royal Commission "into the question of the constitution of a greater Sydney" in 1913. Director of the Benevolent Society of New South Wales; member of the Board of the Carrington Convalescent Hospital, Camden from 1913 until 1919. Committee member of the Citizens' Referendum Six O'Clock Association in 1916. President Sydney Chamber of Commerce; Chairman of the Importer's Association from 1916 until 1918. Member of the New South Wales Board of Health from 1916 until 1919. President of the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) from 1924 until 1934. Agent-General for New South Wales in London in 1925. Chairman of the Importers Association in 1940. Member of the Protestant Federation. Deacon and Sunday School Superintendant Congregationalist Church.

Qualifications, occupations and interests

Wholesaler. Attended Richmond public school in Victoria and left when 14 years old. Commenced work at 14 as assistant with Alston and Brown, softgoods warehouse. Joined W. Wood & Co., wholesale opticians and importers. Became a travelling salesman for W. Wood & Co. Sent to Sydney to open branch for W. Wood & Co. and eventually gained financial control. Established his own firm, Arthur Cocks & Co., wholesale jewellers and opticians, remaining Managing Director until 1939. The company was reconstructed in 1911 and by 1914 it had branches in Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane. Trustee of the Savings Bank of New South Wales. Director of the City Bank of Sydney. Director of Arthur Rickard & Co. (Extended) Ltd. Director of the Australian Alliance Assurance Co. He invested in the film industry and was Director of Spencer's Pictures Ltd; Australasian Films Ltd; the General Film Co. of Australia Ltd; and Union Theatres Ltd.

Honours Received

Knight of the British Empire (KBE) in 1925

Local Government Activity

Alderman of the Sydney City Council for Lang Ward from 1 December 1906 until 20 January 1914. Member of the Finance Committee 1907 until 1914; the Street Signs Special Committee 1908; the Works Committee 1907; the Queen Victoria Special Committee 1908; the Electric Lighting Committee 1907 until 1912 and 1914. Lord Mayor 1913.

Personal

Fourth son of Thomas Cocks, farmer, and his wife Elizabeth Adams, English migrants. Married Elizabeth Agnes Gibb, daughter of Charles Gibb, on 17 September 1884, and had issue, 1 son and 1 daughter. Congregationalist.

Additional Information

Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 8

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