Parliamentary activity
Information about members' parliamentary service including their positions held and biography.
Positions
| Position | Start | End | Period | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Member of the NSW Legislative Council | Tue 17 July 1917 | Mon 23 February 1920 | 2 years 7 months 7 days | Life Appointment under the Constitution Act. Date of Writ of Summons 6 May 1917. Granted retention of title of 'Honourable' for life. |
| Library Committee No. 5 | Fri 28 July 1916 | Thu 21 December 1916 | 4 months 24 days | |
| Standing Orders Committee No. 4 | Fri 28 July 1916 | Thu 21 December 1916 | 4 months 24 days | |
| Refreshment Committee No. 6 | Fri 21 July 1916 | Thu 21 December 1916 | 5 months 1 day | |
| The King's Message Committee No. 10 | Tue 10 August 1915 | Thu 13 April 1916 | 8 months 4 days | |
| Library Committee No. 6 | Fri 02 July 1915 | Thu 13 April 1916 | 9 months 12 days | |
| Standing Orders Committee No. 3 | Fri 02 July 1915 | Thu 13 April 1916 | 9 months 12 days | |
| Refreshment Committee No. 4 | Fri 02 July 1915 | Thu 13 April 1916 | 9 months 12 days | |
| Standing Orders Committee No. 4 | Wed 22 July 1914 | Tue 23 February 1915 | 7 months 2 days | |
| Library Committee No. 3 | Wed 22 July 1914 | Tue 23 February 1915 | 7 months 2 days | |
| Refreshment Committee No. 5 | Wed 22 July 1914 | Tue 23 February 1915 | 7 months 2 days | |
| Library Committee No. 3 | Wed 11 March 1914 | Sat 18 April 1914 | 1 month 8 days | |
| Standing Orders Committee No. 4 | Wed 11 March 1914 | Sat 18 April 1914 | 1 month 8 days | |
| Speaker of the Legislative Assembly | Tue 23 December 1913 | Mon 16 April 1917 | 3 years 3 months 25 days | |
| Member for Phillip | Sat 06 December 1913 | Wed 21 February 1917 | 3 years 2 months 16 days | |
| Standing Orders Committee No.3 | Wed 06 August 1913 | Wed 15 October 1913 | 2 months 10 days | |
| Parliamentary Accommodation Committee No.14 | Fri 08 November 1912 | Thu 05 December 1912 | 28 days | |
| Application of Mr Charles Lancelot Garland for Special Gold Leases Committee No.12 | Tue 15 October 1912 | Wed 04 December 1912 | 1 month 20 days | |
| Claims of Samuel Alfred Hutchinson Committee No.10 | Tue 08 October 1912 | Wed 06 November 1912 | 30 days | |
| Standing Orders Committee No.3 | Wed 07 August 1912 | Thu 05 December 1912 | 3 months 29 days | |
| The Governor’s Opening Speech Committee No.1 | Tue 23 July 1912 | Tue 23 July 1912 | 1 day | |
| Australian Gaslight Company’s Bill Committee No.23 | Thu 21 March 1912 | Thu 28 March 1912 | 8 days | |
| System of Discrimination in Freight Charges on the Railways Committee No.21 | Tue 14 November 1911 | Thu 28 March 1912 | 4 months 15 days | |
| Totalisator Bill Committee No.19 | Tue 31 October 1911 | Thu 28 March 1912 | 5 months | |
| Claims of Samuel Alfred Hutchinson Committee No.12 | Tue 10 October 1911 | Wed 18 October 1911 | 9 days | |
| Claims of Madame Bell against the Education Department Commitment No.8 | Wed 04 October 1911 | Wed 27 March 1912 | 5 months 24 days | |
| Conduct of the Rabbit Industry in New South Wales Committee No.10 | Wed 04 October 1911 | Wed 18 October 1911 | 15 days | |
| Retirement of James McKay from the Railway Department Committee No.11 | Wed 04 October 1911 | Wed 18 October 1911 | 15 days | |
| Standing Orders Committee No.3 | Tue 12 September 1911 | Thu 28 March 1912 | 6 months 17 days | |
| Claims of Samuel Alfred Hutchinson Committee No.14 | Wed 05 July 1911 | Tue 01 August 1911 | 28 days | |
| Conduct of the Rabbit Industry in New South Wales Committee No.13 | Tue 04 July 1911 | Tue 01 August 1911 | 29 days | |
| Claims of Madame Bell against the Education Department Commitment No.10 | Tue 27 June 1911 | Tue 01 August 1911 | 1 month 6 days | |
| Retirement of Mr James McKay from the Railway Department Committee No.9 | Thu 15 June 1911 | Tue 01 August 1911 | 1 month 18 days | |
| Warwick Farm Railway Act Extension Bill Committee No.7 | Wed 31 May 1911 | Wed 14 June 1911 | 15 days | |
| Chairman of Committees | Thu 01 December 1910 | Thu 06 November 1913 | 2 years 11 months 6 days | |
| Elections and Qualifications Committee No.2 | Thu 24 November 1910 | Fri 23 December 1910 | 1 month | |
| Member for Phillip | Fri 14 October 1910 | Thu 06 November 1913 | 3 years 24 days | |
| The Coupon System Committee No.9 | Tue 29 September 1908 | Thu 17 December 1908 | 2 months 19 days | |
| Member for Phillip | Tue 10 September 1907 | Wed 14 September 1910 | 3 years 5 days | |
| Prevalence of the Gambling Evil Committee No.10 | Thu 20 August 1903 | Tue 01 December 1903 | 3 months 12 days | |
| Use of Preservative and Colouring Matters in Food Committee No.11 | Thu 20 August 1903 | Wed 25 November 1903 | 3 months 6 days | |
| Standing Orders Committee No.4 | Wed 01 July 1903 | Tue 01 December 1903 | 5 months 1 day | |
| Commonwealth Portland Cement Company Railway Bill Committee No.14 | Tue 26 August 1902 | Wed 24 September 1902 | 30 days | |
| Claim of Robert Roberts, late bookbinder in the Registrar General’s Office Committee No.12 | Tue 19 August 1902 | Fri 14 November 1902 | 2 months 27 days | |
| Claim of William Richard Gainford against the Department of Navigation Committee No.11 | Tue 22 July 1902 | Fri 19 December 1902 | 4 months 28 days | |
| System of Municipal Government for Greater Sydney Committee No.9 | Fri 20 June 1902 | Sat 20 December 1902 | 6 months 1 day | |
| Standing Orders Committee No.4 | Tue 17 June 1902 | Sat 20 December 1902 | 6 months 4 days | |
| Lease of the Kensington Racecourse Committee No.7 | Tue 17 June 1902 | Thu 31 July 1902 | 1 month 15 days | |
| Claims of Robert Roberts, late bookbinder in the Registrar-General’s Office Committee No.14 | Wed 20 November 1901 | Thu 19 December 1901 | 1 month | |
| Wagga Wagga Cattle driving Bill Committee No.13 | Tue 22 October 1901 | Tue 17 December 1901 | 1 month 26 days | |
| Claims of Contractors, Mosman and Middle Harbour Sewerage Committee No.11 | Wed 11 September 1901 | Wed 23 October 1901 | 1 month 13 days | |
| Tied Houses Committee No.8 | Thu 22 August 1901 | Wed 18 September 1901 | 28 days | |
| Standing Orders Committee No.5 | Thu 08 August 1901 | Fri 20 December 1901 | 4 months 13 days | |
| Member for Tweed | Wed 03 July 1901 | Sat 16 July 1904 | 3 years 14 days | |
| Brodie’s Enabling Bill Committee No.19 | Tue 04 September 1900 | Tue 11 September 1900 | 8 days | |
| Case of William Reid Committee No.18 | Tue 28 August 1900 | Tue 20 November 1900 | 2 months 24 days | |
| Working of the Free Public Library Committee No.16 | Thu 16 August 1900 | Wed 28 November 1900 | 3 months 13 days | |
| Claim by Messrs Maddison and Ewing Contractors Committee No.15 | Thu 02 August 1900 | Thu 27 September 1900 | 1 month 26 days | |
| Administration of the Military Department Committee No.14 | Thu 26 July 1900 | Thu 01 November 1900 | 3 months 7 days | |
| Dismissal of Mrs. Abraham, Shaftesbury Girls Asylum Committee No. 8 | Tue 03 July 1900 | Sat 01 December 1900 | 4 months 29 days | |
| Accident to Albert Burbank on Railway Premises, Tamworth Committee No. 11 | Tue 03 July 1900 | Thu 25 October 1900 | 3 months 23 days | |
| Claim of Mr. J. L. Davidson, Paddington Committee No. 12 | Tue 03 July 1900 | Thu 13 September 1900 | 2 months 11 days | |
| Refreshment Committee No.3 | Wed 20 June 1900 | Wed 05 December 1900 | 5 months 16 days | |
| Mine at Brindebella, owned by the Bank of North Queensland Committee No. 21 | Tue 21 November 1899 | Thu 30 November 1899 | 10 days | |
| Case of William Creswell Committee No.18 | Tue 07 November 1899 | Thu 21 December 1899 | 1 month 15 days | |
| Stanford Coal-mine Railway Bill Committee No.14 | Wed 25 October 1899 | Sat 23 December 1899 | 1 month 29 days | |
| Lismore Municipal Boundaries Bill Committee No.12 | Thu 19 October 1899 | Tue 24 October 1899 | 6 days | |
| Refreshment Committee No.6 | Wed 02 August 1899 | Tue 10 October 1899 | 2 months 9 days | |
| Member for Tweed | Wed 27 July 1898 | Tue 11 June 1901 | 2 years 10 months 16 days | |
| Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly | Wed 24 July 1895 | Wed 21 February 1917 | 21 years 6 months 29 days | |
| Member for Sydney-Phillip | Wed 24 July 1895 | Tue 08 October 1895 | 2 months 15 days |
Biography
Community activity
Darlinghurst Literary and Debating Society.
Local Government activity
Alderman of the Sydney City Council for Phillip Ward, 14 October 1901 - 1 December 1918; and for Flinders Ward 2 December 1918 - 30 November 1921. Member of the Parliamentary and By-Laws Committee 1903; the Health and By-Laws Committee 1902, 1904 - 1905, 1907 - 1912 and 1919 - 1921; the Electric Lighting Committee 1902, 1905 - 1906, 1909 - 1915 and 1918 - 1920; the Staff and Labour Committee 1902 - 1903; the Finance Committee 1902 - 1903, 1903 - 1912 and 1914 - 1915; the Works Committee 1902, 1904 - 1912 and 1919 - 1921; the Fruit and Vegetable Markets Committee 1907; the Street Signs Committee 1908; the Queen Victoria Market Building Committee 1910 - 1911; and the Electricity Supply Committee 1921. Lord Mayor 1916 - 1917 (first Labor Lord Mayor).
Honours Received
Knight Commander of St Gregory (Papal Knight).
Personal information
Son of Denis Meagher, police constable and Irish immigrant, and Jane Keleher. Married Alice Maud Osmonde on 26 January 1891. Roman Catholic.
Qualifications, occupations and interests
Lawyer (solicitor). Educated at St Stanislaus College at Bathurst and St Aloysius College at Sydney and University of Sydney. Articled to J. A. B Cahill in 1883. Assigned to W. P Crick in 1887; Admitted as a solicitor in 1889; in partnership with Crick from 1892; became a land agent and was readmitted to practise as a solicitor after being struck off. Trustee of Public Library of New South Wales from 1916 until 1931; Director of Prince Alfred Hospital from 1916 until 1918; Member of Metropolitan Water Board from 1906 until 1910; active in charitable and war work. Assistant Secretary to the Paddington Protection League and delegate to National Protection Convention in Sydney, 1897. Member of Universal Service League 1915. Visited United States of America in 1924.
Additional information
Australian Dictionary of Biography (ADB), Volume 10
Text from the book: 'The Presiding Officers of the Parliament of New South
Wales', Sydney, 1995
Richard Meagher was born on 11 January 1866 at Bathurst in New South Wales. He
married Alice Osmond on 28 January 1891; they had no children. Elected to the
Legislative Assembly as the Member for Sydney-Phillip in July 1895, he resigned
in October when he was charged with conspiracy to defeat the ends of justice
for the manner in which he handled the murder trial of George Dean.
His conviction was quashed but he was struck off the Roll of Solicitors in
1896. In the 1898 General Elections he stood for and won the seat of the Tweed,
holding it until it was abolished in 1904. He then became the Member for
Phillip between 1907 until his defeat in 1917. He was Chairman of Committees
between 1910 and 1913 and was elected Speaker of the Legislative Assembly in
1913. He took an avid interest in the local community, fulfilling his civic
duties as an alderman on the Sydney City Council between 1901 and 1920. In 1916
he became the first Labor Lord Mayor of Sydney. As an alderman, Meagher
campaigned for the demolition of the inner city
slum areas and was responsible for the construction of better housing for
workers. An academically accomplished man, Meagher possessed a flamboyant
manner of speaking, using classical references to colour his speech. Considered
an authority on procedural traditions and the Standing Orders, his decisions
were regarded highly and later Speakers quoted from them frequently. He was
appointed a Member of the Legislative Council in 1917, but resigned in 1920 to
contest Sydney at the General Election. He lost but polled well. After being
re-admitted as a solicitor by a special Act of Parliament in 1920 he
established the law firm of Meagher, Sproule and Co. He died on 17 September
1931 at Lewisham, Sydney.