Charles Dempster

Charles Dempster
Succeeded by	George Throssell
Constituency	East Province
Personal details
Born	19 December 1839 Fremantle, Western Australia
Died	22 July 1907 Sydney, New South Wales
Nationality	Australian
Spouse(s)	Mary Bussell
Profession	Farmer and grazier

Charles Edward Dempster (19 December 1839 – 22 July 1907) was a politician in Western Australia, serving two terms in the Legislative Council—as the member for the seat of Toodyay from 1873 to 1874, and as one of the three East Province members from 1894 until 1907. A farmer and grazier by trade, he was also one of the first European explorers of the Esperance district as well as a councillor and chairman on the Toodyay and Northam Road Boards for many years.

Dempster was born in Fremantle, Western Australia, to James McLean Dempster, a sea captain, and Ann Ellen Pratt. He was educated at Lowe's School in Fremantle and at Reverend Dacres Williams' School in Guildford. In the 1860s, he, his brother Andrew and fellow pastoralists Charles Harper and Bernard Clarkson undertook various explorations. In 1864, he and his brother became the first European explorers to reach the Esperance district, and they opened up a stock route to the markets at Perth. By 1866, he had become the manager of the family property, Buckland, at Northam, and on 5 March 1867, he married Mary Bussell, with whom he was to have three sons and four daughters.

In 1870 the brothers developed a station at Fraser Range with the assistance of ticket of leave men from Perth who were employed to develop the station land and build various stone structures. The station had been founded by John and Alexander Forrest on their way to Adelaide, and was the first sheep station on the Nullarbor Plain. In 1871, the Dempsters acquired the cutter Gypsy which was used to sail wool to Adelaide, stores and stock from Fremantle and hunt seals at the islands off Esperance.

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