William Copley (South Australian politician)
| William Copley | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 8th Leader of the Opposition of South Australia | |
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In office 1896–1896 |
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| Preceded by | John Downer |
| Succeeded by | John Downer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 25 April 1845 |
| Died | 16 September 1925 |
| Political party |
National Defence League (1892–94), Australasian National League (1896–02) |
William Copley (25 April 1845 – 16 September 1925) was a South Australian politician. He was a member of the South Australian House of Assembly from 1884 to 1887, representing Frome, switched to the South Australian Legislative Council from 1887 to 1894 representing Northern District, before returning to the House of Assembly from 1896 to 1904, representing Yorke Peninsula. He was Leader of the Opposition for a period in 1896, and served as Commissioner for Crown Lands and Immigration (1890-1892) and Minister for Agriculture and Education (1892) under Thomas Playford II and Chief Secretary (1893) and Minister for Agriculture and Education (1892-1893) under John Downer.
Copley was born in the village of High Green, near Sheffield, England, the eldest son of James Copley and Elizabeth née Redfearn. William Copley emigrated with his family to Burra Burra in South Australia in 1849. For some years he was engaged on the Murray Flats, but from around 1877 he held a farm on the Black Rock Plains, near Orroroo, South Australia. In 1883-84 he was President of the Farmers Association.
Copley was elected to the South Australian House of Assembly for Frome in April 1884 along with Ebenezer Ward. In April 1887 he lost Frome but in July won a South Australian Legislative Council by-election for the northern division. As 'a strenuous opponent' of socialism, he was a founding member in 1892 of the National Defence League (NDL), a 'counter' to the new United Labor Party at the 1893 election.
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