Richard Windeyer
Richard Windeyer (10 August 1806 – 2 December 1847) was a journalist, barrister and Australian politician.
Richard Windeyer was born in London, the eldest of nine children of Charles Windeyer, first recognised reporter in the House of Lords, and his wife Ann Mary, née Rudd. Richard's parents and family went to Sydney in 1828, intending to go on the land, and obtained a grant of 2,560 acres (10.4 km2). Charles Windeyer however, accepted the position of chief clerk in the police office and afterwards became a police magistrate at Sydney. In 1843 Charles Windeyer was an unsuccessful candidate at the first election for the New South Wales Legislative Council, and retired from his magistracy at the end of 1848 with a pension.
Richard Windeyer remained in London and like his father before him became a parliamentary reporter. Richard Windeyer was employed on The Times and other newspapers. On 26 April 1832 Richard Windeyer married Maria née Camfield and their only child, William Charles Windeyer, was born on 29 September 1834. Windeyer studied law and was admitted as a barrister to the Middle Temple in 1834.
Windeyer was advised by his father to travel to New South Wales and on 28 November 1835 arrived in Sydney where he built up a large practice as a barrister. By 1840 he was one of the leaders at the bar and had made a reputation especially in nisi prius work. In 1838 he bought land in the Hunter Valley, and by 1842 he held about 30,000 acres (120 km2) and spent large amounts on draining extensive swamp lands in the vicinity of Grahamstown (near Raymond Terrace and building a homestead at Tomago. Windeyer planted thirty acres (12 ha) of vines and made his first wine in 1845. He also raised cattle, horses and pigs and experimented with sugar-cane and wheat.
At the first election for the New South Wales Legislative Council held in July 1843, Windeyer was elected for the County of Durham and soon brought in a measure, the Monetary Confidence Bill, designed to relieve the economic depression at the time. In spite of brilliant speeches in opposition to it made by Robert Lowe the bill was carried by 14 votes to seven; however, it was vetoed by the governor, Sir George Gipps, and nothing more was heard of it. Windeyer supported free trade and worked to remove duties on the export of New South Wales tobacco to Van Diemen's Land and wheat to the United Kingdom, but supported an import duty of 1 shilling a bushel on foreign wheat on the basis that it would be a revenue not a protective duty.
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