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 | Wed 08 February 1888 | Sat 23 May 1896 | 8 years 3 months 16 days | Life Appointment under the Constitution Act. Date of Writ of Summons 30 December 1887. |
| Electric Light in Parliamentary Buildings Committee No.63 | Fri 27 August 1886 | Mon 25 October 1886 | 1 month 29 days | |
| Illawarra Steam Navigation Act Amendment Bill Committee No.62 | Tue 24 August 1886 | Fri 27 August 1886 | 4 days | |
| Mudgee Gaslight and Coke Company’s Bill Committee No.57 | Fri 23 July 1886 | Thu 05 August 1886 | 14 days | |
| Barker’s Estate Bill Committee No.11 | Fri 11 December 1885 | Wed 16 December 1885 | 6 days | |
| Member for South Sydney | Fri 16 October 1885 | Wed 26 January 1887 | 1 year 3 months 11 days | |
| Mort’s Bay Improvement Bill Committee No.16 | Thu 16 November 1882 | Tue 21 November 1882 | 6 days | |
| Cookbundoon Slate Quarry Tramway Bill Committee No.26 | Thu 24 November 1881 | Fri 02 December 1881 | 9 days | |
| Denton’s Estate Leasing and Mortgaging Bill Committee No.20 | Fri 23 September 1881 | Thu 06 October 1881 | 14 days | |
| Transfer of Land at North Shore to John William Haynes Committee No.20 | Thu 24 March 1881 | Tue 29 March 1881 | 6 days | |
| Member for South Sydney | Thu 18 November 1880 | Thu 23 November 1882 | 2 years 6 days | |
| Petition of Mr E.W Rudder Committee No.26 | Tue 22 June 1880 | Fri 09 July 1880 | 18 days | |
| Claim of John O’Brien Committee No.25 | Tue 15 June 1880 | Tue 13 July 1880 | 29 days | |
| Sites for New Hospitals Committee No.15 | Tue 10 February 1880 | Tue 13 July 1880 | 5 months 4 days | |
| Claim of Richard Peard Committee No.16 | Tue 10 February 1880 | Tue 13 July 1880 | 5 months 4 days | |
| Sydney City and Suburban Tramway and Omnibus Company’s Bill Committee No.14 | Tue 16 December 1879 | Thu 26 February 1880 | 2 months 11 days | |
| Mineral Selection at Mitchell’s Creek Committee No.11 | Tue 02 December 1879 | Fri 16 April 1880 | 4 months 15 days | |
| Randwick Asylum for Destitute Children Committee No.9 | Wed 19 November 1879 | Thu 08 July 1880 | 7 months 20 days | |
| St Leonards Roman Catholic School Land Sale Bill Committee No.8 | Thu 13 November 1879 | Sat 20 November 1880 | 1 year 8 days | |
| Railway through the City of Sydney Committee No.5 | Thu 30 October 1879 | Tue 13 July 1880 | 8 months 15 days | |
| Refreshment Room No.4 | Wed 29 October 1879 | Tue 13 July 1880 | 8 months 15 days | |
| The Governor’s Opening Speech Committee No.1 | Tue 28 October 1879 | Tue 28 October 1879 | 1 day | |
| Mudgee Turf Club Bill Committee No.20 | Wed 20 November 1878 | Wed 26 February 1879 | 3 months 7 days | |
| Petition of Mr E.W Rudder Committee No.18 | Tue 12 November 1878 | Thu 24 July 1879 | 8 months 13 days | |
| Claim of Constable Richard Peard Committee No.19 | Tue 12 November 1878 | Thu 24 July 1879 | 8 months 13 days | |
| Primitive Methodist Church Temporalities Bill Committee No.17 | Fri 01 November 1878 | Thu 14 November 1878 | 14 days | |
| Pilot Steamer “Captain Cook” Committee No.15 | Tue 22 October 1878 | Fri 04 July 1879 | 8 months 13 days | |
| Sydney Infirmary and Dispensary Bill Committee No.12 | Fri 18 October 1878 | Tue 29 October 1878 | 12 days | Chairman |
| Claim of Messrs Kelleher and Fitzgerald Committee No.10 | Tue 01 October 1878 | Thu 24 July 1879 | 9 months 24 days | |
| Sunday Sale of Liquors Prevention Bill Committee No.21 | Fri 22 March 1878 | Thu 16 May 1878 | 1 month 25 days | |
| Mineral selection at Mitchell’s Creek Committee No.12 | Tue 12 February 1878 | Wed 08 May 1878 | 2 months 27 days | |
| The Bible Society’s Bill Committee No.8 | Thu 31 January 1878 | Thu 07 February 1878 | 8 days | |
| Member for East Sydney | Wed 24 October 1877 | Tue 09 November 1880 | 3 years 17 days | |
| Member for East Sydney | Tue 28 August 1877 | Fri 12 October 1877 | 1 month 15 days | |
| Postmaster General | Fri 17 August 1877 | Mon 17 December 1877 | 4 months 1 day | |
| Conveyance of Lunatics from Sydney to Cooma Committee No.21 | Fri 22 June 1877 | Thu 11 October 1877 | 3 months 20 days | |
| Conveyance of Lunatics from Sydney to Cooma Committee No.21 | Fri 22 June 1877 | Thu 11 October 1877 | 3 months 20 days | |
| Disputed Mining Lease, Hawkins Hill Committee No.20 | Tue 19 June 1877 | Thu 11 October 1877 | 3 months 23 days | |
| Albert Dangar’s Leasing Act Amendment Bill Committee No.19 | Thu 17 May 1877 | Fri 01 June 1877 | 16 days | |
| Sydney Common Improvement Act Amendment Bill Committee No.15 | Tue 06 February 1877 | Thu 22 February 1877 | 17 days | |
| Macquarie Coal Company’s Railway Bill Committee No.12 | Tue 30 January 1877 | Tue 13 February 1877 | 15 days | |
| Orange Gas-Light Bill Committee No.11 | Thu 21 December 1876 | Thu 11 January 1877 | 22 days | |
| Lunatic Asylum, Parramatta Committee No.5 | Tue 19 December 1876 | Wed 09 May 1877 | 4 months 21 days | |
| The Bassett Darley Estates Bill Committee No.9 | Tue 19 December 1876 | Thu 18 January 1877 | 1 month | |
| Lunatic Asylum, Parramatta Committee No.25 | Tue 01 August 1876 | Tue 22 August 1876 | 22 days | |
| The Case of Alfred Arnold Committee No.24 | Tue 16 May 1876 | Tue 27 June 1876 | 1 month 12 days | |
| Petition of Wilson and Cawley Committee No.21 | Tue 11 April 1876 | Wed 19 July 1876 | 3 months 9 days | |
| Supply of Coal for Railway Purposes Committee No.16 | Tue 29 February 1876 | Fri 30 June 1876 | 4 months 2 days | |
| Cooma Roman Catholic Church Trustees Bill Committee No.15 | Thu 24 February 1876 | Thu 02 March 1876 | 8 days | |
| North Shore Gas Bill Committee No.5 | Fri 19 November 1875 | Wed 08 December 1875 | 20 days | |
| Refreshment Room No.4 | Thu 18 November 1875 | Tue 22 August 1876 | 9 months 5 days | |
| Petition of Mr Stephen Stanbridge Committee No.17 | Wed 30 June 1875 | Wed 28 July 1875 | 29 days | |
| Mineral Selection at Milburn Creek Committee No.15 | Tue 25 May 1875 | Wed 04 August 1875 | 2 months 11 days | |
| Goulburn Cattle Sale Yards Bill Committee No.11 | Tue 27 April 1875 | Thu 06 May 1875 | 10 days | |
| Dubbo Presbyterian Manse Trustee Bill Committee No.10 | Tue 27 April 1875 | Thu 29 April 1875 | 3 days | |
| Petition of Messrs. Blomfield and Munford Committee No.9 | Tue 20 April 1875 | Wed 11 August 1875 | 3 months 23 days | |
| Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly | Wed 09 December 1874 | Wed 26 January 1887 | 12 years 1 month 18 days | |
| Member for East Sydney | Wed 09 December 1874 | Fri 17 August 1877 | 2 years 8 months 9 days |
Biography
Community activity
President of the Protestant Friendly Society in 1864; President of the newly formed Protestant Political Association , July 1868; Acting British Commissioner at Sydney for the Melbourne International Exhibition in 1879; New South Wales Commissioner for exhibitions at Amsterdam in 1882, South Kensington in 1886 and Adelaide and Melbourne in 1887; Chairman of the Royal Commission on Friendly Societies between 1881 and 1882; Chairman of the Casual Labour Board in 1887; Director of Randwick Institution for Destitute Children; Director of Sydney Hospital; Treasurer of Sydney Night Refuge.
Local Government activity
Alderman of the Sydney City Council for Cook Ward from 1 December 1874 until 30 November 1882.
Honours Received
Commander of the Order of St. Michael and St. George 1879 (CMG)
Personal information
Son of John Davies, an engineer and his wife Honorah Roberts. Married Elizabeth Eaton on 3 April 1861 and had issue, 1son and 5 daughters. Baptised Roman Catholic but became a militant Protestant,; Presbyterian wedding. Teetotaller, temperance agitator and a non-smoker, but was appointed to the Licensing Bench in 1882. Repudiated Catholicism and joined the Loyal Orange Lodge, where he rose to high office. Church of England funeral. Estate valued at £6,296.
Qualifications, occupations and interests
Blacksmith and ironmonger. Had little education, at age nine worked as a messenger in an Ironworks, and later became a blacksmith. In 1864 he set up as an ironmonger, in York Street, Sydney.
Additional information
Australian Dictionary of Biography (ADB), Volume 4