Albert Bruntnell

Albert Bruntnell (4 August 1866 – 31 January 1929) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1906 until his death and held a number of ministerial positions in the Government of New South Wales. He was a conservative and at various times he represented the Liberal and Reform and the Nationalist parties.

Bruntnell was born in Breconshire, Wales. His father was a master blacksmith and he was educated to elementary level at National schools. Bruntnell was trained as a tailor but in 1885 he joined the Salvation Army and attended the Salvation Army Training School. Following graduation, his first appointment as a Salvation Army Officer was to accompany Commissioner Howard to Australia in 1888. He remained in Australia and was promoted to Captain in Melbourne in 1889. Bruntnell reached the rank of Brigadier by 1897 when he became the colonial commanding officer in Victoria. He later held the same position in Queensland in 1900 and New South Wales in 1903. However, he was forced to resign his position in 1903 after accepting a personal gift from the New South Wales Alliance for the Suppression of Intemperance, which then employed him as its secretary. He maintained a life-time interest in Temperance and was a Freemason. Together with premier Charles Wade he was a key supporter of the Australian Protestant Defence Association. During his parliamentary career he also worked as a Real estate agent and auctioneer.

In 1906, during a Legislative Assembly debate over a land corruption scandal, John Norton the member for Surry Hills challenged William Holman, the Labor member for Cootamundra and a future premier, to resign his seat so that Norton could contest a by-election directly against him. When the challenge was accepted, Norton was compelled to resign from his own seat precipitating a by-election in Surry Hills, which was held on 14 July 1906. Bruntnell stood as the Liberal and Reform candidate and won with 30% of the vote. Norton finished 4th with 18%.

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