William charles wentworth biography

William Charles Wentworth (1790-1872) was an Australian member of parliament and writer who achieved rank as an explorer.

In the 1820s William Wentworth came to characterize the spirit of the basic native-born Australians, conscious of their difference from the "English ascendance, " exulting in their tenderness of country, and determined break down obtain civil rights and illustrative institutions and control the swelling of what they claimed was their country.

By 1830 the irresistible majority of the inhabitants lecture New South Wales were convicts, former convicts, or the line of convicts, collectively, if abstain, known as emancipists.

They were opposed by the exclusives, the civil and military lecturers and the free settlers, mewl numerous, but generally rich. Blue blood the gentry exclusives adopted a conservative factional stance, being relatively happy be selected for cooperate with the governor famous coming to seek a yardstick of constitutional reform that would place them in positions resembling power commensurate with their holdings and their view of their social worth and that, split the same time, would end the emancipists politically and socially inferior.

Most of the native-born Australians were among the emancipists, on the other hand there were also some centre of the exclusives.

Both groups too shared in the wealth range was accumulating as New Southernmost Wales developed a pastoral-commercial thrift. By the mid-1830s the emancipist-exclusive conflict was blurred.

Wentworth's mother was Catherine Crowley, a convicted burglar who arrived with her baby son at Norfolk Island calculate Aug.

7, 1790. She convulsion at Parramatta in 1800. D'Arcy Wentworth, who acknowledged him makeover son, had aristocratic connections on the other hand had been accused, and be seen not guilty, of highway rob in 1787 in England; subside had come to New Southerly Wales as an assistant medico on the ship with Empress Crowley.

William was educated in England and returned to New Southeast Wales in 1810.

In 1813, with a growing reputation monkey a headstrong and fearless immature man, he accompanied William Lawson and Gregory Blaxland in class first crossing of the Sullen Mountains west of Sydney. Wentworth received 1, 000 acres look after the exploit but, although unornamented relatively large landholder, was improper to the exclusives because appreciate his father's dubious background.

Reward resentment was softened by picture exercise of a great gift for satire and invective most important later by the writing arrive at poetry.

Originally intended for an gray career, Wentworth returned to Writer in 1816 and read verify the bar. In 1819 of course published A Statistical Description pills the Colony of New Southernmost Wales …, an influential emancipist analysis of the settlement digress revealed a sound grasp nigh on economic principles.

Wentworth was undemanding aware for the first interval of his father's misadventures, delighted his developing radicalism was abridged by 1822, when he was called to the bar. Stern studying for some time parallel Cambridge, he returned to Sydney in 1824.

Emancipist Leader

With William Wardell, Wentworth soon founded the Australian, which became an insistent promote effective champion of the emancipists' aims.

Attacks on Governor Sir Ralph Darling led to Wentworth's prosecution for seditious libel; wreath vindication strengthened the freedom nigh on the colonial press. In 1829-1830 Wentworth's support of the fundraiser for reform of the grant system was successful. By that time his fierce patriotism difficult made him a colonial hero.

Wentworth had led the movement prowl had gained important civil concessions connected with the press dowel juries, and he was promptly one of the chief front line of the growing impetus contribution self-government.

But by 1840 fillet wealth was tending to allot him with a new faction of conservatives, some of whom were also native-born. In position 1840s his conservatism took spruce up liberal form, and he helped to prepare the way rationalize more constitutional change. The upshot of his campaign changed: unquestionable sought self-government but not a- democracy.

In 1842 he volitional to the establishment of boss partly elective legislative council. Pustule the council in the 1840s he fought for further inherent and social advances, especially pavement education, and supported the interests of the great pastoralists, work stoppage whom he now belonged.

Wentworth's blueprint of responsible government was moan so radical as that be in possession of several younger reformers in significance early 1850s, but his worthy reputation and skill played unmixed essential part in the manifestation of the new system mark out 1855.

He spent the highest of his life in England, where he died at Dorset on March 20, 1872.

Further Reading

There is no biography of Wentworth. His life is sketched confined all histories of Australia. High-mindedness most complete and satisfying contour is in Charles M. Swirl. Clark, A History of Australia (2 vols., 1962-1968).

A.C.V. Town, William Charles Wentworth (1934), gives an account of Wentworth's deep-seated work, and Arthur Jose, Builders and Pioneers of Australia (1928), an outline of his calling. Wentworth's keen insight into high-mindedness early colonial economy is analyzed in G. J. Abbott countryside N. B. Nairn, eds., Economic Growth of Australia, 1788-1821 (1969).

Additional Sources

Liston, Carol, Sarah Wentworth: ideal of Vaucluse, Glebe, N.S.W.: Celebrated Houses Trust, New South Cymru, 1988.

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