William Forlonge

William Jack Forlonge (15 May 1813 – 15 September 1890)[1] was a pastoralist and politician in colonial Victoria and New South Wales, a member of the Victorian Legislative Council, the Victorian Legislative Assembly and the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.[1]

Early life

Forlonge was born in Glasgow, Scotland, the son of John and Eliza Forlonge.[1] John Forlonge (died 1834) was a merchant in Glasgow and decided to send his two surviving sons to New South Wales, several of his children having earlier died from tuberculosis.[2] William Forlonge, his brother Andrew and their mother went to Leipzig with his mother in 1826 where William worked in a wool sorting house for three years.[1][2] John joined his family in 1828. Eliza chose 98 Saxon sheep from studs, then she and her sons drove them to Hamburg. The sheep were shipped to Hull and were driven from there to Liverpool where they sailed, with William, for Sydney in the Clansman.[2]

Colonial Australia

William Forlonge arrived in Hobart Town in November 1829 and decided to stay there. He was eventually granted 1,500 acres (610 ha) of land near Campbell Town.

He married his first cousin Marion Templeton in 1837, by whom he had eleven children.[1]

William Forlonge moved to the Port Phillip District along with his brother Andrew in 1838.[2] In 1851, William purchased the Seven Creeks property in Euroa.[1] In October 1854 Forlonge was elected to the unicameral Victorian Legislative Council for Villiers and Heytesbury,[1] becoming a spokesman for squatters.[2] Forlonge was a member of the Council until the original Council was abolished in March 1856.[1] Forlonge became a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly for The Murray in a by-election in January 1858 and resigned in January 1858.[1]

Forlonge settled in New South Wales in 1859, becoming a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for Orange on 15 December 1864, a seat he held until 12 June 1867.[3]

Forlonge died in Dubbo, New South Wales, on 15 September 1890. His daughter, Janet, married William Barton Wright.

References

1. "Forlonge, William". re-member: a database of all Victorian MPs since 1851. Parliament of Victoria. Archived from the original on 7 July 2012.
2. Adams, Nancy. "Forlonge, William (1811–1890)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Melbourne University Press. ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 24 July 2014 – via National Centre of Biography, Australian National University.
3. "Mr William Forlonge (1811-1890)". Former Members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 23 June 2019.

 

Victorian Legislative Council
New title	Member for Villiers and Heytesbury October 1854 – March 1856 With: Claud Farie 1854–55 James Mylne Knight 1855–56	Original Council abolished
Victorian Legislative Assembly
Preceded by John Goodman	Member for The Murray January 1858 – January 1859 With: Travers Adamson	Succeeded by William Nicholson
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
Preceded by Charles Cowper, Jr.	Member for Orange 15 December 1864 – 12 June 1867	Succeeded by George McKay