William James Cooper Cole (14 October 1858 – 13 March 1938) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the South Australian House of Assembly from 1910 to 1918, representing the multi-member seats of Stanley (1910–1915) and Port Pirie (1915–1918). He was a member of the United Labor Party until 1917, when he left to join the National Party in the 1917 Labor split.
Cole was born at Williamstown in the Barossa Valley, and was privately educated in Kapunda. He undertook his apprenticeship with the Kapunda Herald (alongside future parliamentary colleague William David Ponder) and The Register newspapers, before working as a printer in Adelaide. He was subsequently editor and proprietor of the Laura Standard for eighteen years from 1896. During his editorship of the Laura Standard, it became the first publication to publish verse by C. J. Dennis. Cole was Mayor of the Corporate Town of Laura from 1904 to 1910. He was also heavily involved in the Methodist church, serving as a lay preacher for 62 years and holding all possible offices in the church.
He was elected to the House of Assembly for the United Labor Party at the 1910 election, representing the electorate of Stanley. Following an electoral redistribution, he was elected unopposed in 1915 for the new seat of Port Pirie. He left the Labor Party for the new National Party in the 1917 Labor split over conscription. He was defeated by a Labor candidate when he ran for re-election at the 1918 election.
After leaving politics, he managed Ponders Advertising Agency in Adelaide until August 1937, when he retired due to failing health.
He was twice married: in 1887 to Alice Johnson (died 1914) and in 1920 to Eva A. Langsford.
References
- "William Cole". Former members of the Parliament of South Australia. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
- ^ "Mr. W. J. C. Cole". The Chronicle. Vol. LXXX, no. 4, 244. South Australia. 17 March 1938. p. 49. Retrieved 1 August 2016 – via Trove.
- ^ "PERSONAL". Kapunda Herald. Vol. LXXIV, no. 5, 035. South Australia. 18 March 1938. p. 2. Retrieved 1 August 2016 – via Trove.
- "Personal Reminiscences". Recorder. No. 12, 156. South Australia. 26 March 1938. p. 3. Retrieved 1 August 2016 – via Trove.
- ""The Sentimental Bloke's" First Published Poem". Laura Standard and Crystal Brook Courier. Vol. XLIX, no. 2721. South Australia. 8 July 1938. p. 2. Retrieved 1 August 2016 – via Trove.
- "Laura's Local Government Activities". Laura Standard and Crystal Brook Courier. Vol. XLI, no. 2165. South Australia. 13 May 1932. p. 1. Retrieved 8 April 2016 – via Trove.
- "In Memoriam". Australian Christian Commonwealth. Vol. 51, no. 2584. South Australia. 29 April 1938. p. 16. Retrieved 1 August 2016 – via Trove.
- "THE LABOR SPLIT". The Advertiser. Vol. LIX, no. 18, 201. South Australia. 13 February 1917. p. 7. Retrieved 1 August 2016 – via Trove.
- "SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ELECTIONS". The Catholic Press. No. 1163. New South Wales, Australia. 11 April 1918. p. 27. Retrieved 1 August 2016 – via Trove.
| Civic offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byG. I. Bills | Mayor of Laura 1904–1910 |
Succeeded byJ. F. Roennfeldt |
| Parliament of South Australia | ||
| Preceded byKossuth William Duncan | Member for Stanley 1910–1915 Served alongside: Harry Jackson, Clarence Goode |
Succeeded byHenry Barwell Robert Nicholls |
| New district | Member for Port Pirie 1915–1918 Served alongside: Harry Jackson |
Succeeded byLionel Hill John Fitzgerald |
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