John Woods (Australian politician)
John Woods (5 November 1822 – 2 April 1892) was a politician in colonial Victoria (Australia), Minister of Railways.
Woods was the second son[1] of Richard Woods, a Liverpool railwayman, and his wife Mary, née Cave.[2] After being trained as an engineer, he was employed in Canada and England; and landed in Melbourne in 1852, after a chequered experience at the Ovens, M'Ivor, Goulburn, Ararat and Fiery Creek diggings, during which he was a prominent exponent of miners' rights.[1]
Woods was returned to the Victorian Legislative Assembly in October 1859 for the Crowlands district, which he represented until August 1864 and again from April 1871 to April 1877.[3] Woods was then elected for Stawell in May 1877,[3] which he represented till his death. Whilst out of Parliament, from 1865 to 1870, Woods entered the Government service, and was in charge of the works at the Malmesbury reservoir, when he was summarily dismissed on an allegation, into which inquiry was refused, that he had connived at some laches on the part of the contractors.[1] Woods took office as Minister of Railways in the first Graham Berry Government in August 1875, and made some sweeping changes in the tariff of charges. He retired with his colleagues in October of the same year, but was appointed to the same post in the second Berry Administration in May 1877, retiring in March 1880.[1]
Woods died in Brighton, Melbourne, Victoria on 2 April 1892 and was buried in Boroondara General Cemetery.[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Mennell, Philip (1892). "
Woods, Hon. John". The Dictionary of Australasian Biography. London: Hutchinson & Co. Wikisource - ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
| Victorian Legislative Assembly | ||
|---|---|---|
| New creation | Member for Crowlands 1859–1864 Served alongside: John Houston |
Succeeded by Ronald Campbell |
| Preceded by | Member for Crowlands 1871–1877 Served alongside: Robert Walker Colin Campbell |
Seat abolished |
| New creation | Member for Stawell 1877–1892 |
Succeeded by John Balfour Burton |
