Alfred John Stephenson

Alfred John Stephenson (1845–1914) was a politician in Queensland, Australia. He was a Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly and a Member of the Queensland Legislative Council.

The Honourable

Alfred Stephenson
Alfred John Stevenson, 1903
Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly
for Ipswich
In office
21 March 1896 – 11 March 1902
Serving with Thomas Cribb
Preceded byJames Wilkinson
Succeeded byJames Blair
Member of the Queensland Legislative Council
In office
3 July 1914 – 4 December 1914
Personal details
Born
Alfred John Stevenson

(1845-11-15)15 November 1845
Pimlico, London, England
Died4 December 1914(1914-12-04) (aged 69)
Ipswich, Queensland, Australia
Resting placeIpswich General Cemetery
NationalityEnglish Australian
Political partyMinisterialist
Spouse(s)Jane Graham Tully (m.1867 d.1909), Charlotte Lee Smith, (née Haffner) (m.1914 d.1943)
OccupationPrinter, Newspaper proprietor

Early life

Alfred John Stephenson was born on 15 November 1845 at Pimlico, London, England, the son of John Stephenson and his wife Martha.[1] He attended a Birkbeck school and then a private academy.[2]

At age 15, he left England and came to Ipswich, Queensland.[3]

Career

Stephenson was apprenticed as printer on the North Australian newspaper published in Ipswich. In 1877 he became one of the proprietors of the Queensland Times.[1]

He served on various boards, trusts and committees including:[3]

  • Queensland Woollen Manufacturing Company
  • Ipswich and West Moreton Building Society
  • Ipswich General Hospital
  • Ipswich Girls Grammar School
  • Ipswich Technical College

Politics

On 7 March 1894, John MacFarlane, one of the two Ministerialist members for Ipswich, died. Alfred Stephenson contested the resulting by-election on 31 March 1894 as a Ministerialist, but Australian Labour Party candidate James Wilkinson won.[2]

Alfred John Stephenson was elected in the electoral district of Ipswich on 21 March 1896 (the 1896 election) and served until 11 March 1902 when he was defeated in the 1902 election by lawyer James Blair.[1][4][5]

In June 1902, he was elected an alderman of the Ipswich City Council and served as mayor in 1907.[1][3]

On 3 July 1914 he was appointed to the Queensland Legislative Council. He served on the council for only a few months until his death.[4]

Later life

His wife Jane died at their home Chermside, Roderick Street, Ipswich on 29 March 1909.[6]

In May 1914, as District Grand Master of the English Freemasons, he travelled extensively through the northern parts of Queensland. While there, he contracted malaria after which his health progressively deteriorated.[3]

Despite his failing health, on 24 November 1914, he married Charlotte Lee Smith (née Haffner), the widow of George William Smith, of Sans Souci, Sydney.[7]

Alfred John Stephenson died on Friday 4 December 1914 at his home Chermside, Roderick Street, Ipswich.[1] His funeral service was held on Sunday 6 December 1915 at the Old Ipswich Town Hall followed by a large funeral procession to the Ipswich General Cemetery where he was buried with masonic rites.[3][8][9] As a mark of respect, the Queensland Legislative Council adjourned their sitting on that day.[10]

His second wife Charlotte died on 19 February 1943 at the home of her daughter in Homebush in Sydney. She was buried on 20 February 1943 in the Woronora Cemetery.[11]

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See also

References
  1. "Stephenson, Alfred John". Re-Member Database. Queensland Parliament. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  2. "HON. A. J. STEPHENSON, M.L.C." The Brisbane Courier. National Library of Australia. 4 December 1914. p. 6. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  3. "HON. A. J. STEPHENSON". Warwick Examiner and Times. Qld.: National Library of Australia. 5 December 1914. p. 5. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  4. "Part 2.15 – Alphabetical Register of Members of the Legislative Assembly 1860–2017 and the Legislative Council 1860–1922" (PDF). Queensland Parliamentary Record 2015–2017: The 55th Parliament. Queensland Parliament. Archived from the original on 26 April 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2015.CS1 maint: unfit url (link)
  5. "Representatives of Queensland State Electorates 1860-2017" (PDF). Queensland Parliamentary Record 2012-2017: The 55th Parliament. Queensland Parliament. Archived from the original on 27 April 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2015.CS1 maint: unfit url (link)
  6. "Family Notices". The Queensland Times. Ipswich, Queensland: National Library of Australia. 30 March 1909. p. 4 Edition: DAILY. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  7. "Family Notices". The Queensland Times. Ipswich, Queensland: National Library of Australia. 28 November 1914. p. 4 Edition: Daily. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  8. "LATE HON. A. J. STEPHENSON". The Telegraph. Brisbane: National Library of Australia. 5 December 1914. p. 8. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  9. "Ipswich General Cemetery: Congregational B Section". Australian Cemeteries. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  10. "Legislative Council". The Brisbane Courier. National Library of Australia. 5 December 1914. p. 4. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  11. "Family Notices". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 20 February 1943. p. 16. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
Parliament of Queensland
Preceded by
James Wilkinson		 Member for Ipswich
1896–1902
Served alongside: Thomas Cribb		 Succeeded by
James Blair
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