Patrick Jennings

The Honourable Sir Patrick Jennings KCMG
Sir Patrick Alfred Jennings
11th Premier of New South Wales
In office 26 February 1886 – 19 January 1887
Preceded by	John Robertson
Succeeded by	Henry Parkes
Colonial Secretary
In office 10 October 1885 – 21 December 1885
Premier	George Dibbs
Preceded by	George Dibbs
Succeeded by	John Robertson
Personal details
Born	(1831-03-20)20 March 1831 Newry, County Down, Ireland
Died	11 July 1899(1899-07-11) (aged 68) Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Sir Patrick Alfred Jennings, KCMG (20 March 1831 – 11 July 1897) was an Irish-Australian politician and Premier of New South Wales.

Jennings was born at Newry, Ireland, the son of Francis Jennings, a well-known merchant in that town. He was educated at Newry and at a high school at Exeter, England, and began a mercantile career. In 1852 he went to Australia and engaged in gold mining at St Arnaud, Victoria, but soon became a shop keeper, and then moved into quartz-crushing and bought a large pastoral property on the Murrumbidgee River. In 1857 he became a magistrate. He ran unsuccessfully for the Crowlands in the Victorian Legislative Assembly in 1859 and then became chairman of the St Arnaud Council. In 1863, he married Mary Ann Shanahan and moved to Warbreccan near Deniliquin.

In 1863 he became interested in the movement to form the Riverina district into a separate province, and two years later was asked to go to England as a delegate to bring the grievances of the district before the English authorities. He declined on the ground that it should be possible to clear up the difficulties with the New South Wales government.

Jennings was nominated to the legislative council in 1867. He resigned in 1870 to enter the Legislative Assembly as member for the Murray, but after 1872 was out of politics for some years. He contested Mudgee unsuccessfully in 1874. He represented the colonies of New South Wales, Queensland and Tasmania, at the Philadelphia exhibition in 1876, and subsequently visited Europe.