Mr James FLETCHER (1834 - 1891)**

Date of Birth: 01/08/1834 Place of Birth: Dalkieth, East Lothian, Scotland Date of Death: 19/03/1891 Place of Death: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Parliamentary Service

Position Start End Period Notes Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly 22 Nov 1880 19 Mar 1891 10yr(s) 3mth(s) 26day(s) Member for Newcastle 22 Nov 1880 23 Nov 1882 2yr(s) 2day(s) 10th (1880 - 1882) Member for Newcastle 30 Nov 1882 7 Oct 1885 2yr(s) 10mth(s) 8day(s) 11th (1882 - 1885) Member for Newcastle 16 Oct 1885 2 Mar 1886 4mth(s) 15day(s) 12th (1885 - 1887) Member for Newcastle 6 Mar 1886 26 Jan 1887 10mth(s) 21day(s) 12th (1885 - 1887) Member for Newcastle 5 Feb 1887 19 Jan 1889 1yr(s) 11mth(s) 15day(s) 13th (1887 - 1889) Member for Newcastle 2 Feb 1889 19 Mar 1891 2yr(s) 1mth(s) 18day(s) 14th (1889 - 1891) Secretary for Mines 26 Feb 1886 23 Dec 1886 9mth(s) 28day(s) Secretary for Public Works 17 Jan 1889 7 Mar 1889 1mth(s) 19day(s) Claims of Immigrants by ship “Northampton” Committee No.7 16 Oct 1863 1 Nov 1884 21yrs 17days 11th (1882 - 1885) Assisted Immigration Committee No.8 18 Jan 1881 5 Apr 1881 2mths 19days 10th (1880 - 1882) Lands granted to the Australian Agricultural Company Committee No.7 8 Jul 1881 13 Dec 1881 5mths 6days 10th (1880 - 1882) Borough of Newcastle Leasing and Improving Bill Committee No.23 21 Oct 1881 28 Oct 1881 8days 10th (1880 - 1882) Chairman Blandford Proprietary School Bill Committee No.10 11 Oct 1882 26 Oct 1882 16days 10th (1880 - 1882) Mort’s Bay Improvement Bill Committee No.16 16 Nov 1882 21 Nov 1882 6days 10th (1880 - 1882) Working of the Fisheries Act of 1881 Committee No.7 30 Jan 1883 21 Apr 1883 2mths 23days 11th (1882 - 1885) Blandford Proprietary School Bill Committee No.9 6 Feb 1883 13 Feb 1883 8days 11th (1882 - 1885) Redhead Coal-mine Railway Bill Committee No.15 7 Mar 1883 9 Mar 1883 3days 11th (1882 - 1885) Chairman Mort’s Bay Improvement Bill Committee No.16 8 Mar 1883 6 Apr 1883 30days 11th (1882 - 1885) Earnshaw’s Estate Bill Committee No.17 9 Mar 1883 16 Mar 1883 8days 11th (1882 - 1885) Mr Lamont Young and Party Committee No.20 6 Apr 1883 2 May 1883 27days 11th (1882 - 1885) Claims of Immigrants by ship “Northampton” Committee No.7 16 Oct 1883 1 Nov 1884 1yr 17days 11th (1882 - 1885) Alienation of Crown Lands in parishes of Willoughby and Gordon Committee No.16 15 Nov 1883 1 Nov 1884 11mths 18days 11th (1882 - 1885) Mort Bay Improvement Bill Committee No.17 21 Nov 1883 5 Feb 1884 2mths 16days 11th (1882 - 1885) McIlveen and Clift’s Conditional Purchase Committee No.26 18 Dec 1883 29 Oct 1884 10mths 12days 11th (1882 - 1885) Great Cobar Copper Mining Company’s Tramway Bill Committee No.28 23 Jan 1884 19 Feb 1884 28days 11th (1882 - 1885) Cootamundry Roman Catholic Church Land Sale Bill Committee No.31 29 Jan 1884 27 Mar 1884 1mth 28days 11th (1882 - 1885) Chairman Victorian Coal Mining Company’s Bill Committee No.38 26 Feb 1884 25 Apr 1884 2mths 11th (1882 - 1885) Chairman Claim of Roderick McKenzie Committee No.40 26 Feb 1884 1 Nov 1884 8mths 7days 11th (1882 - 1885) Claim of Matthew McIvor to a Tin Mine at Pheasant’s Creek Committee No.42 25 Mar 1884 9 Oct 1884 6mths 15days 11th (1882 - 1885) Chairman Victorian Coal-mining Company’s Bill (No2) Committee No.45 30 Apr 1884 10 Jun 1884 1mth 12days 11th (1882 - 1885) Chairman Conditional Purchase on Miller’s Creek Run Committee No.49 21 May 1884 1 Nov 1884 5mths 12days 11th (1882 - 1885) Blandford Proprietary School Bill Committee No.54 15 Jul 1884 1 Nov 1884 3mths 18days 11th (1882 - 1885) Purchase of Railway Rolling Stock Committee No.56 12 Aug 1884 29 Oct 1884 2mths 18days 11th (1882 - 1885) Great Southern Coal-mining Company Railway Bill Committee No.60 2 Sep 1884 1 Nov 1884 2mths 11th (1882 - 1885) Newcastle Streets Bill Committee No.62 17 Sep 1884 7 Oct 1884 21days 11th (1882 - 1885) Chairman Wallsend and Plattsburg Gas Company’s Bill Committee No.64 22 Oct 1884 29 Oct 1884 8days 11th (1882 - 1885) Chairman Great Southern Coal-mining Company Railway Bill Committee No.5 26 Nov 1884 27 Nov 1884 2days 11th (1882 - 1885) Great Southern Coal-mining Company Railway Bill Committee No.6 20 Mar 1885 27 Mar 1885 8days 12th (1885 - 1887) Great Southern Coal-mining Company Railway Bill Committee No.2 15 Sep 1885 2 Oct 1885 18days 12th (1885 - 1887) McLaughlin Estate Bill Committee No.12 25 Sep 1885 2 Oct 1885 8days 12th (1885 - 1887) Maryville Colliery Company Railway Bill Committee No.20 24 Feb 1886 29 Apr 1886 2mths 6days 12th (1885 - 1887) Patrick Hannan’s Mining Claim at Temora Committee No.40 21 May 1886 16 Jun 1886 27days 12th (1885 - 1887) Claim of Matthew McIvor to a Tinmine at Pheasants Creek Committee No.58 23 Jul 1886 27 Aug 1886 1mth 5days 12th (1885 - 1887) Tramway from Kogarah to Sans Souci Committee No.9 22 Mar 1887 13 Jul 1887 3mths 22days 13th (1887 - 1889) Chairman Sydney Corporation Act Amendment Bill Committee No.24 19 May 1887 19 May 1887 1day 13th (1887 - 1889) Church and Perkin Streets, Newcastle Bill Committee No.17 11 Oct 1887 18 Oct 1887 8days 13th (1887 - 1889) Chairman John Tierney’s Conditional Purchase Committee No.16 11 Oct 1887 24 Jul 1888 9mths 14days 13th (1887 - 1889) Practice of Medicine and Surgery Committee No.15 11 Oct 1887 24 Jul 1888 9mths 14days 13th (1887 - 1889) Removal of Railway Engine-sheds from Dubbo to Wellington Committee No.35 16 Dec 1887 24 Jul 1888 7mths 9days 13th (1887 - 1889) Redhead Coal-mine Railway Act Amending Bill Committee No.36 20 Dec 1887 15 Feb 1888 1mth 27days 13th (1887 - 1889) Hunter street, Newcastle, Extension Bill Committee No.46 29 Feb 1888 3 May 1888 2mths 5days 13th (1887 - 1889) Kiama Tramway Act Amendment Bill Committee No.49 1 Mar 1888 10 Apr 1888 1mth 10days 13th (1887 - 1889) Broken Hill Water Supply Bill Committee No.51 4 Apr 1888 21 Jun 1888 2mths 18days 13th (1887 - 1889) Trades Conciliation Bill Committee No.53 17 Apr 1888 2 Oct 1890 2yrs 5mths 16days 14th (1889 - 1891) Teralba Coal mining Reserve Committee No.59 8 Jun 1888 24 Jul 1888 1mth 17days 13th (1887 - 1889) West Maitland Cattle Sale-yards Bill Committee No.60 12 Jun 1888 14 Jun 1888 3days 13th (1887 - 1889) Young Wallsend Coal Company’s Railway Bill Committee No.6 1 Nov 1888 8 Nov 1888 8days 13th (1887 - 1889) Sydney and Suburban Electric Lighting Bill Committee No.14 31 May 1889 10 Oct 1889 4mths 10days 14th (1889 - 1891) Stockton Gas and Electricity Bill Committee No.24 10 Jul 1889 19 Jul 1889 10days 14th (1889 - 1891) West Wallsend Coal Company (Limited) Bill Committee No.28 12 Sep 1889 24 Sep 1889 13days 14th (1889 - 1891) City of Newcastle Gas and Coke Company’s Electric and other light Bill Committee No.15 22 May 1890 11 Jun 1890 21days 14th (1889 - 1891) Borough of Newcastle Electric Lighting Bill Committee No.23 3 Jul 1890 16 Jul 1890 14days 14th (1889 - 1891) Cook’s River Road Tramways Bill Committee No.26 21 Aug 1890 20 Dec 1890 3mths 30days 14th (1889 - 1891) Broken Hill Water Works Bill Committee No.33 16 Sep 1890 20 Dec 1890 3mths 5days 14th (1889 - 1891) Adelaide Jubilee International Exhibition Committee No.36 7 Oct 1890 12 Dec 1890 2mths 6days 14th (1889 - 1891) Borough of Newcastle Electric Lighting Bill Committee No.40 6 Nov 1890 12 Nov 1890 7days 14th (1889 - 1891) Australian Banking Company Sydney Bill Committee No.41 14 Nov 1890 4 Dec 1890 21days 14th (1889 - 1891) Early Closing Bill Committee No.42 14 Nov 1890 20 Dec 1890 1mth 7days 14th (1889 - 1891)

Qualifications, occupations and interests

Mine manager, mine owner and newspaper proprieter. Worked in coal mines as a boy. Arrived in Australia in February 1851 to the gold diggings. Settled in Newcastle, working in Burwood and Borehole Collieries. Chairman of New Hunter Miners Association in 1860. Managed Minmi Collieries. Managed revived Co-op mine until 1880. Managing Director of Wickham and Bullock Island Coal Company. Part-owner of Ferndale Colliery. Freemason. Member of the Lodge Harmony at Newcastle. Frequently acted as a mediator between colliery owners and miners; Estate valued at £858.

Local Government Activity

Mayor of Wallsend 1874 - 1875. Plattsburg 1876.

Personal

Son of William and Ann Crawford. Married Isabella Birrell at Wallsend in 1854 and had issue, 3 daughters and 6 sons.

Additional Information

Biography and portrait in ‘Australian Men of Mark’, Volume 1. Sydney, [?1889] , page 238

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