Percy Abbott (Australian politician)
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Percy Abbott CMG |
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| Member of the Australian Parliament for New England |
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In office 31 May 1913 – 3 November 1919 |
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| Preceded by | Francis Foster |
| Succeeded by | Alexander Hay |
| Senator for New South Wales | |
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In office 14 November 1925 – 30 June 1929 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
14 May 1869 Hobart, Tasmania |
| Died | 9 September 1940 (aged 71) Tamworth, New South Wales |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Political party |
Liberal (1913–17) Nationalist (1917–19) Country (1925–28) |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Matilda Ross (née King) |
| Occupation | Soldier |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 Australia
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| Service/branch | Australian Army |
| Years of service | 1898–1929 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Commands |
12th Light Horse Regiment (1915, 1917–29) 63rd Battalion (1917) 10th Light Horse Regiment (1915) 5th Light Horse Regiment (1913–15) |
| Battles/wars | First World War |
| Awards |
Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George Mentioned in Despatches Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers' Decoration |
Percy Phipps Abbott CMG, VD (14 May 1869 – 9 September 1940) was an Australian soldier, politician and solicitor.
Born in Hobart, Tasmania, to John William Abbott and Mary Ann, née Phipps, he was educated at The Hutchins School in Hobart and in 1889 was sent to Sydney as an assistant to a solicitor called Thomas Creswell. He was admitted to the practice in 1894. He was an active man and participated in rowing and cricket, and also enrolled as a special constable during the wharf labourers' strike of 1891.
Moving to a Glen Innes practice in 1893, Abbott married Elizabeth Matilda Ross, née King, at Tamworth on 2 September 1901, and continued to be an active sportsman. He was involved in a wide variety of local organisations, including the Northern Border Cricket Association and Glen Innes Rifle Club, as well as being a keen fisherman and racehorse breeder. He served on Glen Innes Municipal Council (1898–1904, 1906–1914) and was mayor from 1910–1913, as well as being president of the hospital board. In 1913, backed by the Farmers and Settlers' Association, he was elected to the Australian House of Representatives as a member of the Commonwealth Liberal Party for the seat of New England, which he represented until 1919 (during which time the party had morphed into the Nationalist Party).
In 1898, Abbott joined the 4th Infantry Regiment as a second lieutenant, moving, by 1905, to the 6th Australian Light Horse. He was a captain by 1908 and a major the next year, and commanded the 5th Light Horse from 1913. In March 1915 he sailed for Egypt as a lieutenant colonel in the Australian Imperial Force; although his diary contains many declarations of the "wickedness of Germany", there are still strong indications of a sense of Australian egalitarianism. He was a fierce critic of British strategy at Gallipoli, and was soon commander of the 10th Light Horse.
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