imported>Jevansen: added :Category:Australian MPs 1925–1928

2024-12-20T20:21:56Z

added Category:Australian MPs 1925–1928

New page

{{Short description|Australian politician (1864–1926)}}
{{Use Australian English|date=August 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = [[The Honourable]] Sir
| name = Austin Chapman
| honorific-suffix = {{postnom|size=100%|KCMG}}
| image = Austin Chapman - Swiss Studios (cropped).jpg
| office = [[Minister for Health (Australia)|Minister for Health]]
| primeminister = [[Stanley Bruce]]
| predecessor = [[Walter Massy-Greene]]
| successor = [[Herbert Pratten]]
| term_start = 9 February 1923
| term_end = 26 May 1924
| office2 = [[Minister for Trade (Australia)|Minister for Trade and Customs]]
| primeminister2 = Stanley Bruce
| predecessor2 = [[Arthur Rodgers]]
| successor2 = Herbert Pratten
| term_start2 = 9 February 1923
| term_end2 = 26 May 1924
| primeminister3 = [[Alfred Deakin]]
| predecessor3 = [[William Lyne]]
| successor3 = [[Frank Tudor]]
| term_start3 = 30 July 1907
| term_end3 = 13 November 1908
| office4 = [[Postmaster-General of Australia]]
| primeminister4 = Alfred Deakin
| predecessor4 = [[Sydney Smith (Australian politician)|Sydney Smith]]
| successor4 = [[Samuel Mauger]]
| term_start4 = 5 July 1905
| term_end4 = 30 July 1907
| office5 = [[Minister for Defence (Australia)|Minister for Defence]]
| primeminister5 = Alfred Deakin
| predecessor5 = [[James Drake (politician)|James Drake]]
| successor5 = [[Anderson Dawson]]
| term_start5 = 24 September 1903
| term_end5 = 27 April 1904
| constituency_MP6 = [[Division of Eden-Monaro|Eden-Monaro]]
| parliament6 = Australian
| predecessor6 = ''New seat''
| successor6 = [[John Perkins (Australian politician)|John Perkins]]
| term_start6 = 29 March 1901
| term_end6 = 12 January 1926
| birth_name = Austen Chapman<ref name=adb />
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1864|7|10}}
| birth_place = [[Bong Bong, New South Wales|Bong Bong]], Colony of {{nowrap|New South Wales}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1926|1|12|1864|7|10}}
| death_place = Sydney, Australia
| spouse = {{marriage|Catherine O'Brien|23 October 1894}}
| party = {{ubl|[[Protectionist Party|Protectionist]] (1901–1909) | [[Commonwealth Liberal Party|Liberal]] (1909–1917) | [[Nationalist Party of Australia|Nationalist]] (1917–1926)}}
| relations = [[Albert Chapman]] (brother)
| children = 4, including [[John Chapman (Australian Army officer)|John]]
| residence =
| alma_mater =
| occupation = Company director
| profession =
| religion =
| signature =
| website =
| footnotes =
}}

'''Sir Austin Chapman''' {{postnom|KCMG}} (10 July 1864{{spaced ndash}}12 January 1926) was an Australian politician who served in the [[Australian House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] from 1901 until his death in 1926. He held ministerial office in the governments of [[Alfred Deakin]] and [[Stanley Bruce]], serving as [[Minister for Defence (Australia)|Minister for Defence]] (1903–1904), [[Postmaster-General of Australia|Postmaster-General]] (1905–1907), [[Minister for Trade (Australia)|Minister for Trade and Customs]] (1907–1908, 1923–1924), and [[Minister for Health (Australia)|Minister for Health]] (1923–1924).

==Early life==
Chapman was born on 10 July 1864 in [[Bong Bong, New South Wales]]. He was the son of Monica (née Cain; also spelt Kean or Kein) and Richard Chapman, his father being a wheelwright and publican. His mother was born in Ireland. His given name was spelled "Austen" until 1897.<ref name=adb>{{Australian Dictionary of Biography |first=H. J. |last=Gibbney |title =Chapman, Sir Austin (1864–1926) |id2=chapman-sir-austin-5554 |access-date=14 August 2022}}</ref>

Chapman attended the state school in [[Marulan]] until the age of 14, when he was apprenticed to a [[saddle]]r working in [[Goulburn, New South Wales|Goulburn]] and [[Mudgee]]. By 1885 he was operating Chapman's Hotel in [[Bungendore]], close to the eventual site of Canberra. Chapman moved to Sydney in 1887 and went into partnership with [[Edward William O'Sullivan]] in an auctioneering firm, of which he was managing partner. He was also the proprietor of the Emu Inn on [[Bathurst Street, Sydney|Bathurst Street]]. His partnership with O'Sullivan was dissolved in 1889, and he subsequently established the Royal Hotel in [[Braidwood, New South Wales|Braidwood]].<ref name=adb/>

==New South Wales politics==
In 1891 Chapman was elected to the [[New South Wales Legislative Assembly]] as MLA for [[Electoral district of Braidwood|Braidwood]].<ref name=nsw>{{cite NSW Parliament |title=Sir Austin Chapman (1864–1956) |id=1142 |former=Yes|accessdate=13 May 2019}}</ref> He was an active supporter of [[Federation of Australia|federation of the Australian colonies]].<ref name=adb/>

==Federal politics==
[[File:Portrait of The Hon. Austin Chapman, 1907-1908 (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|upright|Chapman c. 1907/08]]
In [[1901 Australian federal election|1901]] Chapman was elected to the first [[Australian House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] as MP for the [[Division of Eden-Monaro]] (his brother [[Albert Chapman|Albert]] succeeded him as the member for Braidwood in the New South Wales Parliament). A [[Protectionist Party|Protectionist]], he was [[Minister for Defence (Australia)|Minister for Defence]] in the first ministry of [[Alfred Deakin]] (1903–04), [[Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts (Australia)|Postmaster-General]] in the second Deakin ministry (1905–08), and [[Minister for Trade (Australia)|Minister for Trade and Customs]] from 1907 to 1908. After a long period on the backbench as a result of a stroke in 1909, which paralysed one of his arms, he was appointed Minister for Trade and Customs and [[Australian Minister for Health|Minister for Health]] in the [[Stanley Bruce|Bruce]] [[First Bruce Ministry|government]] in February 1923. He was criticised by both [[Nationalist Party of Australia|Nationalists]] and the [[National Party of Australia|Country Party]] and he resigned in May 1924 on the grounds of ill health and was subsequently made a [[Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George|KCMG]].<ref name=adb/>

Chapman had a significant role during the selection of Australia's national capital site, [[Canberra]]. A strong advocate for the rival site of [[Dalgety, New South Wales|Dalgety]]—legislated as the capital site by the [[Seat of Government Act 1904]]—he stated in August 1906 that, "I will defend Dalgety to the end. Any change from the selection already made can only be achieved over my political corpse."<ref>{{Cite news|date=21 August 1906|title=Search for a capital |work=[[Goulburn Evening Penny Post]] |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article104768251 |access-date=9 October 2021 |via=Trove}}</ref>

In early 1908, he conceded that Canberra was "the second best site, but Dalgety easily stands first."<ref>{{Cite news |date=5 January 1908 |title=Capital site |work=[[The Sunday Sun (Sydney)|The Sunday Sun]] |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article227122514 |access-date=10 October 2021 |via=Trove}}</ref> As the process finally reached its conclusion, later in 1908, Chapman was suffering ill health. In his absence, although he had been [[Pair (parliamentary convention)|paired]] for the ballots so as not to prejudice the outcome, at the ninth ballot Dalgety went down to Yass-Canberra by 39 votes to 33.<ref>{{Cite news|date=29 September 1908|title=Mr Austin Chapman |work=[[The Queanbeyan Age]] |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article31386968 |access-date=10 October 2021 |via=Trove}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=9 October 1908 |title=Capital site |work=[[The Argus (Melbourne)|The Argus]] |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article10169204 |access-date=10 October 2021 |via=Trove}}</ref>

However, once Canberra had been selected, Chapman strenuously advocated the development of the site on the [[Molonglo River]] near [[Queanbeyan]], which like Dalgety was in his electorate.<ref>{{Cite news|date=7 February 1911|title=The Hon. Austin Chapman |work=[[The Queanbeyan Age]]| url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article31378278 |access-date=10 October 2021 |via=Trove}}</ref> The success of his efforts benefited many of his friends who owned land in the area, and also greatly boosted trade in Queanbeyan, the nearest town to the site. He was still MP for Eden-Monaro at the time of his death in Sydney on 12 January 1926 of cerebro-vascular disease, before he could sit in the first [[Old Parliament House, Canberra|Parliament House]] in Canberra, which opened in May 1927. He was survived by his wife, two daughters and two sons, James Austin Chapman and [[John Chapman (general)|John Austin Chapman]] who both became distinguished soldiers.<ref name="adb" /><ref>{{Australian Dictionary of Biography |first=Roger C. |last=Thompson |title=Chapman, John Austin (1896–1963) |id2=chapman-john-austin-9727 |access-date=14 August 2022}}</ref> The Canberra suburb of [[Chapman, Australian Capital Territory|Chapman]] was named after him.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.planning.act.gov.au/tools-resources/e-services/place-name-search |title=Place name search |publisher=ACT Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development |access-date=12 January 2023}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}
 
{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{succession box | title=[[Minister for Defence (Australia)|Minister for Defence]] | before=[[James Drake (politician)|James Drake]]| after= [[Anderson Dawson]]| years=1903–1904}}
{{succession box | title= [[Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts (Australia)|Postmaster-General]] | before=[[Sydney Smith (Australian politician)|Sydney Smith]]| after= [[Samuel Mauger]]| years=1905–1907}}
{{succession box | title= [[Minister for Trade (Australia)|Minister for Trade and Customs]] | before=[[William Lyne]] | after= [[Frank Tudor]]| years=1907–1908}}
{{succession box | title= [[Minister for Trade (Australia)|Minister for Trade and Customs]] | before=[[Arthur Rodgers]]| after= [[Littleton Groom]]| years=1923–1924}}
{{succession box | title= [[Australian Minister for Health|Minister for Health]] | before=[[Walter Massy-Greene]]| after= [[Herbert Pratten]]| years=1923–1924}}
{{s-par|au-nsw-la}}
{{succession box | title=Member for [[Electoral district of Braidwood|Braidwood]] | before=[[Alexander Ryrie]] | after=[[Albert Chapman]] | years=1891–1901}}
{{s-par|au}}
{{s-new|parliament}}
{{s-ttl |title=Member for [[Division of Eden-Monaro|Eden-Monaro]] |years=1901–1926}}
{{s-aft |after=[[John Perkins (Australian politician)|John Perkins]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{First Deakin Cabinet}}
{{Second Deakin Cabinet}}
{{Third Deakin Cabinet}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chapman, Austin}}
[[Category:1864 births]]
[[Category:1926 deaths]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Liberal Party members of the Parliament of Australia]]
[[Category:Australian Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George]]
[[Category:Protectionist Party members of the Parliament of Australia]]
[[Category:Members of the Cabinet of Australia]]
[[Category:Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Eden-Monaro]]
[[Category:Members of the Australian House of Representatives]]
[[Category:Australian federationists]]
[[Category:Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly]]
[[Category:People from Bowral]]
[[Category:Politicians from Sydney]]
[[Category:Australian auctioneers]]
[[Category:Nationalist Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia]]
[[Category:Ministers for defence of Australia]]
[[Category:Ministers for health of Australia]]
[[Category:Colony of New South Wales people]]
[[Category:Postmasters-general of Australia]]
[[Category:Australian MPs 1901–1903]]
[[Category:Australian MPs 1903–1906]]
[[Category:Australian MPs 1906–1910]]
[[Category:Australian MPs 1910–1913]]
[[Category:Australian MPs 1913–1914]]
[[Category:Australian MPs 1914–1917]]
[[Category:Australian MPs 1917–1919]]
[[Category:Australian MPs 1919–1922]]
[[Category:Australian MPs 1922–1925]]
[[Category:Australian MPs 1925–1928]]

Austin Chapman - Revision history

imported>Jevansen: added :Category:Australian MPs 1925–1928