James Forsyth
Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly
for Carpentaria
In office
25 March 1899  18 May 1907
Preceded byGeorge Sim
Succeeded byThomas Nevitt
Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly
for Moreton
In office
19 June 1909  27 April 1912
Preceded byJohn Campbell
Succeeded bySeat abolished
Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly
for Murrumba
In office
27 April 1912  16 March 1918
Preceded byNew seat
Succeeded byRichard Warren
Personal details
Born
James Forsyth

1852
West Plean, Stirling, Scotland
Died14 October 1927 (aged 74 or 75)
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Resting placeToowong Cemetery
NationalityScottish Australian
Political partyMinisterial
Other political
affiliations
Opposition, Queensland Liberal
SpouseHelen Morrison Campbell (m.1882 d.1938)
OccupationCompany director

James Forsyth (1852 – 14 October 1927) was a company director and member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly.[1]

Early days

Forsyth was born in West Plean, Stirling, Scotland, to parents John Forsyth, farmer, and his wife Janet (née Munnock). After receiving his education in West Plean he worked for Henderson Bros, Merchants in Stirling and spent five years with Arnott and Co. in Glasgow. He arrived in Sydney in early 1875 where he stayed almost a year, moving to Brisbane in December of the same year. In 1880 he was the manager at Normanton for James Burns & Co. and was mainly responsible for the company's expansion in the North Queensland area. When the businesses of Burns and Robert Philp were amalgamated in 1883, he became a director of Burns Philp.

Political career

At the 1899 Queensland colonial elections, Forsyth, for the Ministerialists, won the seat of Carpentaria. He changed allegiance to the Opposition Party in 1904, led by his close friend, Robert Philp. He was defeated at the 1907 state elections.

Two years later, he won the seat of Moreton. By now, he was back with the Ministerialists. Forsyth held this seat for three years, switching to Murrumba. He held the seat until his retirement from politics in 1918.

Forsyth was the only MP to oppose the provision of the Elections Act 1915 that granted women the right to stand for parliament in Queensland. He stated that "I do not think myself that this is a place for a woman at all, and I hope that when we get into Committee we shall be able to have that innovation knocked out".[2]

From 1919 until 1927 Forsyth was the honorary Consulate for Queensland in Japan.

Personal life

In 1882, Forsyth married Helen Morrison Campbell (daughter of prominent Brisbane businessman James Campbell). They had no children. He died in 1927 and his funeral proceeded from Braelands, his former residence in Toowong to the Toowong Cemetery.[3]

References

  1. "Former Members". Parliament of Queensland. 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
  2. Scott, Joanne; Laurie, Ross (2005). "Promise and Performance: The Queensland Elections Act 1915 and Women's Right to Stand for Parliament" (PDF). Queensland Review. 12 (2): 54.
  3. "Family Notices". The Brisbane Courier. No. 21, 753. Queensland, Australia. 15 October 1927. p. 16. Retrieved 20 August 2016 via National Library of Australia.
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