Sir (Francis) Francis Bathurst Suttor (1839 - 1915)

Date of birth:

Tue 30 April 1839

Place of birth:

Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia

Date of death:

Sun 04 April 1915

Place of death:

Darling Point, New South Wales, Australia

Parliamentary activity

Information about members' parliamentary service including their positions held and biography.

Positions
PositionStartEndPeriodNotes
Library Committee No.4 Wed 06 August 1913Wed 15 October 19132 months 10 daysChairman
Library Committee No.4 Wed 07 August 1912Thu 05 December 19123 months 29 days
Library Committee No.4 Tue 12 September 1911Thu 28 March 19126 months 17 days
Library Committee No.4 Tue 30 May 1911Tue 01 August 19112 months 3 days
Library Committee No.4 Wed 30 November 1910Fri 23 December 191024 days
Library Committee No.4 Tue 28 June 1910Sat 20 August 19101 month 24 days
Library Committee No.4 Wed 14 July 1909Fri 17 December 19095 months 4 days
Library Committee No.4 Wed 05 August 1908Sat 19 December 19084 months 15 daysChairman
Library Committee No.4 Wed 05 August 1908Sat 19 December 19084 months 15 daysChairman
Library Committee No.3 Fri 13 March 1908Sat 11 April 190830 daysChairman
Library Committee No.3 Thu 24 October 1907Fri 20 December 19071 month 27 daysChairman
President of the Legislative Council Sat 23 May 1903Sun 04 April 191511 years 10 months 13 days
Member of the NSW Legislative Council Tue 12 June 1900Sun 04 April 191514 years 9 months 24 daysLife Appointment under the Constitution Act. Date of Writ of Summons 12 June 1900. Granted retention of "Honourable" for life.
Vice President of Executive Council Tue 12 June 1900Sat 23 May 19032 years 11 months 12 days
Tamworth Showground Bill Committee No.15 Thu 26 October 1899Sat 23 December 18991 month 28 days
North Shore Bridge Bill Committee No. 15 Wed 26 October 1898Fri 23 December 18981 month 28 days
Elections and Qualifications Committee No. 2 Wed 17 August 1898Tue 25 October 18982 months 9 days
Member for Bathurst Wed 27 July 1898Tue 12 June 19001 year 10 months 17 days
Corowa School of Arts Enabling Bill Committee No.9 Tue 24 October 1893Fri 08 December 18931 month 15 days
Gunnedah School of Arts Enabling Bill Committee No.20 Thu 23 February 1893Thu 23 March 18931 month 1 day
Hay Athenaeum Trustees Enabling Bill Committee No.17 Thu 19 January 1893Wed 01 February 189314 days
Raymond Terrace Mechanics School of Arts Sale Bill Committee No.14 Wed 16 November 1892Tue 29 November 189214 days
Colonial Secretary Sat 30 April 1892Tue 13 September 18924 months 15 days
Wagga Wagga School of Arts Enabling Bill Committee No.24 Thu 26 November 1891Wed 09 December 189114 days
Member for Bathurst Wed 04 November 1891Mon 25 June 18942 years 7 months 22 days
Minister of Public Instruction Fri 23 October 1891Thu 02 August 18942 years 9 months 11 days
Elections and Qualifications Committee No.5 Thu 16 July 1891Thu 18 August 18921 year 1 month 3 days
Member for Bathurst Wed 17 June 1891Mon 26 October 18914 months 10 days
Member of the NSW Legislative Council Wed 27 February 1889Sat 13 June 18912 years 3 months 18 daysLife Appointment under the Constitution Act. Date of Writ of Summons 21 February 1889
Minister of Public Instruction Thu 17 January 1889Thu 07 March 18891 month 19 days
Electric Light in Parliamentary Buildings Committee No.63 Fri 27 August 1886Mon 25 October 18861 month 29 days
Mr Daniel Behan Committee No.59 Fri 06 August 1886Mon 25 October 18862 months 20 days
Member for Bathurst Tue 09 March 1886Wed 26 January 188710 months 18 days
Postmaster General Fri 26 February 1886Wed 19 January 188710 months 25 days
Maryville Colliery Company Railway Bill Committee No.20 Wed 24 February 1886Thu 29 April 18862 months 6 days
Kite’s Leasing Bill Committee No.7 Fri 04 December 1885Wed 17 February 18862 months 14 daysChairman
Member for Bathurst Fri 23 October 1885Tue 02 March 18864 months 8 days
Kite’s Leasing Bill Committee No.11 Fri 25 September 1885Fri 02 October 18858 days
Purchase of Railway Rolling Stock Committee No.56 Tue 12 August 1884Wed 29 October 18842 months 18 days
Stirling’s Trusts Bill Committee No.51 Thu 05 June 1884Wed 25 June 188421 daysChairman
City Bank Bill Committee No.50 Fri 23 May 1884Wed 04 June 188413 days
Member for Bathurst Fri 08 February 1884Wed 07 October 18851 year 8 months
Boroughs of Randwick and Paddington Bill Committee No.23 Fri 07 December 1883Wed 05 March 18842 months 28 days
Member for Bathurst Sat 02 December 1882Thu 31 January 18841 year 1 month 30 days
Minister of Public Instruction Mon 14 November 1881Thu 04 January 18831 year 1 month 22 days
Acting Secretary for Mines Tue 30 August 1881Tue 11 October 18811 month 12 days
Postmaster General Thu 11 August 1881Sun 13 November 18813 months 3 days
Member for Bathurst Fri 19 November 1880Thu 23 November 18822 years 5 days
Minister of Justice Sat 01 May 1880Tue 10 August 18803 months 10 days
Equity Branch of the Supreme Court Committee No.12 Tue 02 December 1879Tue 22 June 18806 months 21 days
Payments to Discharged Prisoners Committee No.10 Tue 25 November 1879Tue 13 July 18807 months 19 days
Library Committee No.2 Wed 29 October 1879Tue 13 July 18808 months 15 days
Member for Bathurst Tue 31 December 1878Tue 31 December 18781 day
Minister for Justice and Public Instruction Sat 21 December 1878Fri 30 April 18801 year 4 months 10 days
Jury List – Deniliquin Committee No.13 Tue 22 October 1878Tue 20 May 18796 months 29 days
Patrick Nugent’s Conditional Purchase Committee No.18 Tue 19 March 1878Wed 03 April 187816 days
Member for Bathurst Mon 29 October 1877Fri 20 December 18781 year 1 month 22 days
Mr John Garsed Committee No.17 Fri 04 May 1877Thu 11 October 18775 months 8 days
Member for Bathurst Tue 03 April 1877Fri 12 October 18776 months 10 days
Minister for Justice and Public Instruction Thu 22 March 1877Thu 16 August 18774 months 26 days
Throsby’s Leasing Act Amendment Bill Committee No.16 Fri 09 February 1877Fri 16 February 18778 days
Bathurst and Grafton and Armidale Lands Transfer Bill Committee No.13 Tue 30 January 1877Thu 22 February 187724 days
Employment of Children Committee No.6 Tue 19 December 1876Tue 30 January 18771 month 12 days
The Governor’s Opening Speech Committee No.1 Tue 12 December 1876Tue 12 December 18761 day
Report of Examiner of Coal Fields on Land held by Messrs Garrett and Greville Committee No.26 Fri 04 August 1876Thu 17 August 187614 days
Murrumbidgee Turf Club Bill Committee No.20 Wed 22 March 1876Wed 19 April 187629 days
Bathurst Hospital Bill Committee No.19 Wed 15 March 1876Sat 18 March 18764 days
Bathurst Markets Amendment Bill Committee No.17 Tue 07 March 1876Fri 17 March 187611 days
Employment of Children Committee No.9 Tue 14 December 1875Thu 03 August 18767 months 21 days
Fitzgerald’s Enabling Bill Committee No.8 Wed 01 December 1875Tue 14 December 187514 days
Australasia Coal Company’s Bill Committee No.16 Thu 10 June 1875Wed 07 July 187528 days
Removal of Public Money from Bank of New South Wales Committee No.14 Tue 11 May 1875Tue 22 June 18751 month 12 days
Dubbo Presbyterian Manse Trustee Bill Committee No.10 Tue 27 April 1875Thu 29 April 18753 days
Member of the NSW Legislative Assemble Sat 02 January 1875Tue 12 June 190025 years 5 months 11 days
Member for Bathurst Sat 02 January 1875Thu 22 March 18772 years 2 months 21 days
Biography

Honours Received

Knighted in 1903

Personal information

Son of William Henry (q. v.) and Charlotte Augusta Anne Francis. Married Emily Hawkins on 29 July 1863 and had issue 4 sons and 5 daughters. Church of England.

Qualifications, occupations and interests

Pastoralist. Educated at Bathurst and The King's School, Parramatta. At age 19 became manager of father's properties at Bathurst; took up Redbank and Katella near Wellington in 1863, then Bradwardine near Bathurst in 1873; noted breeder of sheep and coaching horses. Director several companies including Australia. Joint Stock Bank, Equitable Life Assurance Society, and Mutual Assurance Society of Victoria. Vice-president of the Sheepbreeders Association, president from 1903 until 1915; president of the Stockowners' Association of New South Wales. Trustee National Art Gallery of New South Wales from 1899 until 1915, vice president in 1915; trustee of the Australia Museum. Art Gallery of New South Wales from 1899 until 1915. Director of Sydney Hospital from 1904 until 1914. President of Council Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children. Delegate to Colonial Conference, Ottawa, 1894. Member of Bathurst Church of England Synod, Chairman of Committees 1903, episcopal elector 1911. President of Royal Life Saving Society, Sydney Patron of Australia literature. Nephew of J. B. Suttor and brother of W. H. Suttor (jr) (qq. v.).

Additional information

Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 6
Text from the book: 'The Presiding Officers of the Parliament of New South
Wales', Sydney, 1995
Francis Suttor was born on 30 April 1839, near Bathurst. He belonged to a
family with a rich tradition of political service. His father William Suttor,
was a member of the Legislative Council and his brother William Suttor Junior,
was a Member of both the Council and Assembly. Before embarking on his own
political career, Suttor established several successful sheep properties in the
Wellington and Bathurst districts. He married Emily Hawkins in July 1863 and
they had four sons and five daughters.
Francis Suttor was first elected to the Legislative Assembly as the Member for
Bathurst in 1875. He was Minister for Justice and of Public Instruction in all
of the Parker, administrations from 1877, Minister for Justice in 1880 and
Postmaster-General from 1880 until 1881. He was Minister of Public Instruction
in the Dibbs Administration of 1880; the acting Secretary for Mines in 1881;
and from 1886 until 1887 again Postmaster-General under Jennings. In 1892 he
was the acting Colonial Secretary. Although he was appointed to the Legislative
Council in 1891 he successfully contested the lower house seat of Bathurst
again. The decline of agricultural prices forced Suttor to reassess his
position as a free trader. Although his defection to the protectionists camp
cost him the both the support of Henry Parkes and the seat of Bathurst, his
political career was far from over. When he entered the Legislative Council in
1900, he did so as the Vice-President of the Executive Council and the
Government's Representative in the upper house. Suttor was appointed President
of the Legislative Council in 1903, a position he held until his death in 1915.
During his term as President, Suttor was faced with hostility from the
Assembly's Speaker, Henry Willis (Speaker 1911-1913) who failed to consult with
him over issues which had traditionally been joint responsibilities. However,
the Parliamentary administration reverted to its former state after Mr Speaker
Willis lost his office in 1913. Sir Francis Suttor died while still President
at Darling Point on 4 April 1915.

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