Richard_Foster_(Australian_politician)
Richard Witty Foster
Australian politician
Richard Witty Foster (20 August 1856 – 5 January 1932)[1] was an Australian politician. He began his career in the Parliament of South Australia (1893–1906) and served two terms as Commissioner of Public Works in liberal and conservative governments. He was elected to federal parliament in 1909 as a Liberal, later joining the Nationalists. He was Minister for Works and Railways (1921–1923) under Prime Minister Billy Hughes, eventually losing his seat at the 1928 election.
Richard Foster | |
---|---|
Minister for Works and Railways | |
In office 21 December 1921 – 9 February 1923 | |
Prime Minister | Billy Hughes |
Preceded by | Littleton Groom |
Succeeded by | Percy Stewart |
Member of the Australian Parliament for Wakefield | |
In office 28 August 1909 – 17 November 1928 | |
Preceded by | Frederick Holder |
Succeeded by | Maurice Collins |
Personal details | |
Born | (1856-08-20)20 August 1856 Goodmanham, Yorkshire, England |
Died | 5 January 1932(1932-01-05) (aged 75) St Peters, South Australia |
Nationality | Australian |
Political party | Liberal (1909–17) Nationalist (1917–28) |
Spouse | Elizabeth Lees |
Occupation | Grocer |
Foster was born in Goodmanham, Pocklington, Yorkshire, England and educated at Prospect House, Tockwith and apprenticed to a draper. He emigrated to South Australia in 1880 and established a business as a grocer and general provider at Quorn. He married Elizabeth Lees in September 1884. He was elected to the Corporate Town of Quorn council in 1887 and was mayor from 1890 to 1892.[2]
On 19 April 1893, Foster was elected to the South Australian House of Assembly as the member for Newcastle, a seat he held until Newcastle was abolished on 2 May 1902.[1] From 3 May 1902 until 2 November 1906, Foster represented Flinders.[1] He was Commissioner for Public Works from 8 December 1899 to 4 July 1904[1] and Minister for Industry from 1902 to 1904 in the liberal governments of Frederick Holder and John Jenkins. He resigned from the ministry in 1904, but still supported Jenkins until it fell in 1905 and was then Commissioner for Public Works and Minister for Agriculture in the conservative administration of Richard Butler, but lost his seat in 1906.[2]
Foster won the seat of Wakefield in the House of Representatives at a 1909 by-election, standing for the Liberal Party. In December 1921, he was appointed Minister for Works and Railways in the Hughes ministry, but was dropped from the ministry in February 1923 by Stanley Bruce. He refused to join the South Australian Country Party and was beaten by its candidate, Maurice Collins in the 1928 elections.[2]
Foster died in the Adelaide suburb of St Peters on 5 January 1932, survived by his wife, three daughters and a son.[2]
- "Richard Witty Foster". Former members of the Parliament of South Australia. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
- McDonald, D. I. (1981). "Foster, Richard Witty (1856 - 1932)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 9 November 2007.
Civic offices | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by John Lord |
Mayor of Quorn 1890–1892 |
Succeeded by John Rock |
Parliament of South Australia | ||
Preceded by | Member for Newcastle 1893-1902 Served alongside: Thomas Burgoyne |
Succeeded by Electorate abolished |
Preceded by | Member for Flinders 1902-1906 Served alongside: Thomas Burgoyne David McKenzie |
Succeeded by |
Political offices | ||
Preceded by | South Australian Commissioner of Public Works 1899 – 1904 |
Vacant Title next held by Richard Foster |
Vacant Title last held by Richard Foster |
South Australian Commissioner of Public Works 1905 |
Succeeded by |
Parliament of Australia | ||
Preceded by | Member for Wakefield 1909 – 1928 |
Succeeded by |
Political offices | ||
Preceded by | Minister for Works and Railways 1921 – 1923 |
Succeeded by |