William McWilliams

Who was William McWilliams?

William James McWilliams was the inaugural leader of the Country Party of Australia.

Born in Bream Creek, near Sorell, Tasmania, the son of Irish immigrants who ran the local school. Originally trained as a teacher, McWilliams became a journalist in 1877, rising to editor of the Launceston Telegraph in 1883. Marrying Josephine Fullerton in Melbourne on 19 October 1893, McWilliams’s role as editor helped his stature in the local community enough to ensure his election to the Tasmanian House of Assembly for the electorate of Ringarooma in the December 1893 election.

In parliament, McWilliams advocated strongly on behalf of farmers, investigated the possibility of introducing sugarbeet farming into Tasmania and helped found the Tasmanian meteorological bureau. He also supported giving women and ex-convicts the vote but opposed Federation, believing it should be delayed.

An Australian Rules football fan, in 1897 McWilliams founded the Southern Tasmania Football Association and remained a senior figure in Australian Rules football administration in Tasmania.

McWilliams bought the Hobart-based Tasmanian News in 1896 and moved to Hobart shortly after, unsuccessfully standing for the seat of Glenorchy in 1900. Switching to federal politics, McWilliams won the Franklin at the 1903 election as a Revenue Tariffist supporting the Free Trade Party on most economic issues.