| Sir William Henry Fancourt Mitchell1811-1884
President: 1870-1884 Legislative Council: 1856-1858, 1859-1884
Between 1853 and 1855 Mitchell was chief commissioner of police, and was instrumental in amalgamating the various police in the colony, increasing their numbers from 700 to over 2,000, and re-organizing the police in Melbourne. He travelled to England in 1854-55 and on his return resigned, to be replaced by Charles MacMahon who was to be the second speaker of the Legislative Assembly. In 1856 Mitchell was elected to the Legislative Council for the North-Western Province. He held the seat until 1858, serving as Postmaster-General in 1857-58. He returned to Parliament less than a year later when he was elected at a by-election for the North-Western Province in 1859. In 1861-63 he was Minister for Railways and Roads, and he became President in 1870. He was knighted in 1875. Mitchell remained as President until his death at Barfold in 1884. He remained always a conservative and a strong defender of the Legislative Council. |
William Mitchell was born in England, and arrived in Van Diemen's
land in 1833 as a writer in the Executive Council's Office. Over the next eight years he
held various government appointments under Lieutenant Governor Franklin. In 1841 he
married Christina Templeton and in 1842 they moved to Port Phillip. For the next eleven
years Mitchell was a grazier at Barfold station near Kyneton. He was also appointed
territorial magistrate.