View source for John See

{{Short description|Australian politician}}
{{Use Australian English|date=August 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|honorific-prefix = [[The Honourable]]
|name = Sir John See
|honorific-suffix = [[Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George|KCMG]] [[Justice of the Peace|JP]]
|office = Premier of New South Wales
|order = 14th
|image = JohnSee.jpg
|smallimage =
|caption =
|constituency = [[Electoral district of Grafton|Grafton]]
|deputy =
|predecessor = [[William Lyne]]
|successor = [[Thomas Waddell]]
|governor =
|birth_date = {{birth date|1844|10|14|df=y}}
|birth_place = [[Yelling, Cambridgeshire|Yelling]], [[Huntingdonshire]], England
|death_date = {{death date and age|1907|1|31|1844|10|14|df=y}}
|death_place = [[Randwick]], New South Wales, Australia
|spouse = Charlotte Mary Matthews (1876–1904)
| children = {{plainlist|
*Charlotte I. A. (m. Hordern)
*John Charles Matthews
*Ruby Edith S.
*Percy George
*Lillian M. I.
*Henry C. M. "Harry"
*Villiers James G.
*John Bruce
*Infant (name unknown)
*Sydney M.}}
|term_start = 28 March 1901
|term_end = 14 June 1904
}}
[[Image:(1)Milford_House_Milford_Street.jpg|thumb|255px|Milford House, See's Italianate mansion in the Sydney suburb of [[Randwick]]]]
'''Sir John See''' {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|KCMG|JP}} (14 October 1844 – 31 January 1907) was a member of the [[New South Wales Legislative Assembly|New South Wales Legislature]] from 26&nbsp;November 1880 to 15 June 1901, and was then [[Premier of New South Wales]] from 1901 to 1904.

See was a [[self-made man]] of strong character, an excellent business man and a sound politician. He was well regarded by both sides of politics, for Labour politicians judged that the establishment of the State clothing factory during his administration  had a great influence in abolishing [[Sweatshop|sweating]], and that the right to women to vote for New South Wales parliament, although not to stand for it, was also introduced.<ref name=dab>{{Dictionary of Australian Biography|First=Sir John (1844–1907)|Last=See|shortlink=0-dict-biogSa-Sp.html#see1|access-date=7 April 2007}}</ref> The governor of New South Wales at the time of his Premiership, the 7th Earl of Beauchamp, privately judged See to be "a self made man of good heart but a most pushing and disagreeable manner".<ref>William Coleman,''Their Fiery Cross of Union. A Retelling of the Creation of the Australian Federation, 1889-1914'', Connor Court, Queensland, 2021, p. 335.</ref>

==Early life==
See was the son of Joseph See, a farm-labourer, and his wife Mary Ann ''née'' Bailey, and was born in [[Yelling, Cambridgeshire|Yelling]], [[Huntingdon]], England. The Parish Records of his baptism show that he was christened "See or Seekings" and that his parents/grandparents etc. used both surnames. He was brought to Australia in 1852 by his parents who settled on the [[Hunter River (New South Wales)|Hunter River]] in New South Wales. On the family move to Australia they no longer used the "Seekings" surname. After three years at school See worked on the family farm, but in 1863 took up land with a brother on the [[Clarence River (New South Wales)|Clarence River]]. In 1865, following disastrous floods, he went to Sydney and began business as a produce dealer. The business flourished under the name of John See and Company. He also became a partner in a small coastal shipping company, Nipper and See, which was afterwards floated into a company, as the [[North Coast Steam Navigation Company]]. See was a shrewd investor and became very well known in business circles in Sydney. In 1876, he married Charlotte Mary Matthews. See built a mansion called 'Urara' (now known as Milford House Nursing Home) in the Sydney suburb of [[Randwick]] and served on [[City of Randwick|Randwick Council]] as alderman and mayor. He became a director of several well-known companies, a trustee of the [[Westpac|Savings Bank of New South Wales]], and president of the [[Royal Agricultural Society of England|Royal Agricultural Society]]. In 1891, his shipping line had 14 steamships when it merged with another line to form the North Coast Steam Navigation Co. Ltd and he remained its joint managing director until his death. He also acquired property throughout the state,<ref name=dab /><ref name=adb>{{Australian Dictionary of Biography|first=Keith|last=Henry|volume=11|id2=see-sir-john-8380|title=See, Sir John (1845–1907)|access-date=9 November 2012}}</ref> including [[Yester Grange]].

==Political career==
{{see also|See ministry}}
See entered politics in 1880 as member for [[Electoral district of Grafton|Grafton]]<ref>{{cite NSW Parliament |title= Sir John See (1845–1907) |id=864 |former=Yes |access-date=11 May 2019}}</ref> and remained its member until he retired in 1904. In October 1885, he joined the [[George Dibbs]] government as [[Postmaster-General of New South Wales|Postmaster-General]], but Dibbs was defeated before the end of the year. See was not in office again until October 1891 when he became for nearly three years Colonial Treasurer in the third Dibbs ministry. He was in charge of the bill which brought in the first protectionist tariff in New South Wales. The whole of his period as Treasurer was marked by much financial stress throughout Australia. From August 1894 until September 1899, [[George Reid]] was in power, but when [[William Lyne]] came in, See was his Colonial Secretary.

On Lyne transferring to federal politics in March 1901, See became Premier and held office until 1904. His government passed the [[Compulsory arbitration|Industrial Arbitration]] Act in 1901 and the [[Women's suffrage|Female Suffrage]] Act in 1902. On the other hand, poor economic conditions and drought forced the government to abandon an ambitious public works program.<ref name=adb /> Failing health and the death of his wife in March 1904 compelled him to retire in June. He accepted a seat in the [[New South Wales Legislative Council|Legislative Council]], but was unable afterwards to exercise much influence in politics.

== Death ==
See died at Randwick on 31 January 1907. He fathered ten children and was survived by four daughters and three sons.<ref name=dab />

See is buried in the Church of England section of what was then known as Long Bay Cemetery<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article61431707|title=The Funeral.|date=2 February 1907|work=[[Clarence and Richmond Examiner]]|location=Grafton, NSW|access-date=17 August 2017|page=9|via=[[Trove]]}}</ref> (now [[Randwick cemetery]]) along with members of his family including his wife Charlotte who died 3 years before him; infant children Percy aged 10 weeks, John Bruce aged 13 months, along with a grandson named Charles Bryen, the youngest son of John Charles Matthews See and his wife Constance L. ''née'' Bryen. John Charles Matthews See is also named here, after he died in 1932.

His youngest son [[Lieutenant]] Sydney Matthews See, who died in World War I on 10 October 1916 and is interred at {{ill|Flatiron Copse Cemetery|nl}}, [[Mametz, Somme]], France, is commemorated on the obelisk at the Randwick Cemetery as well.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ww1nsw.gravesecrets.net/se.html|title=Se|website=WWI Pictorial Honour Roll of New South Wales|access-date=17 August 2017}}</ref>

==Honours==
See was created [[Order of St Michael and St George|Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George]] in 1902.<ref name=dab /><ref>{{London Gazette |title=Knight Commander entry for The Honourable John See |issue=27448 |supp=y |page=4196 |date=24 June 1902}}</ref> The See Parks in [[Grafton, New South Wales|Grafton]] and [[Broken Hill]] are named after him, the one in Broken Hill being dedicated by him in 1902.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{s-start-collapsible|title=Civic and party political offices}}
{{s-civ}}
{{s-bef| before= [[George Wall (mayor)|George Wall]] }}
{{s-ttl |title= [[City of Randwick|Mayor of Randwick]] | years =1880{{spaced ndash}}1881 }}
{{s-aft|after=[[Simeon Henry Pearce]]}}
{{s-bef| before= [[George Denning]] }}
{{s-ttl |title= [[City of Randwick|Mayor of Randwick]] | years =1886 }}
{{s-aft|after=[[Thomas Lowe (Australian mayor)|Thomas Lowe]]}}
{{s-par|au-nsw-la}}
{{s-new}}
{{s-ttl | title=[[Electoral district of Grafton|Member for Grafton]] | years=1880{{ndash}}1904}}
{{s-non|reason=District abolished}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[James Norton Jr.]]}}
{{s-ttl | title=[[Postmaster-General of New South Wales]] | years=1885}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Daniel O'Connor (politician)|Daniel O'Connor]]}}
{{succession box|title=[[Chief Secretary of New South Wales|Colonial Secretary of New South Wales]]|before=[[James Brunker]]|after=[[John Perry (1845–1922)|John Perry]]|years=1899{{ndash}}1904|}}
{{S-ppo}}
{{S-new|party}}
{{S-ttl|title= [[Progressive Party (1901)|Leader of the Progressive Party]] | years =1901{{ndash}}1904 }}
{{s-aft|after= [[Thomas Waddell]] }}
{{s-end}}

{{Premiers of New South Wales}}
{{Treasurers of New South Wales}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:See, John}}
[[Category:1844 births]]
[[Category:1907 deaths]]
[[Category:Australian justices of the peace]]
[[Category:English emigrants to colonial Australia]]
[[Category:Australian Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George]]
[[Category:Mayors of Randwick]]
[[Category:Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly]]
[[Category:Members of the New South Wales Legislative Council]]
[[Category:People from Grafton, New South Wales]]
[[Category:Premiers of New South Wales]]
[[Category:Treasurers of New South Wales]]
[[Category:Colonial secretaries of New South Wales]]
[[Category:19th-century Australian politicians]]
[[Category:People from Yelling]]
[[Category:19th-century Australian businesspeople]]
[[Category:Postmasters-general of New South Wales]]