John Donaldson (Australian politician)

John Donaldson (15 October 1841 – 25 July 1896) was a politician in colonial Queensland, serving as Colonial Treasurer from 19 November 1889 to 12 August 1890.^[1]

The Hon John Donaldson
21st Treasurer of Queensland
In office 19 Nov 1889 – 12 Aug 1890
Preceded by	William Pattison
Succeeded by	Thomas McIlwraith
Constituency	Bulloo
Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Warrego
In office 5 October 1883 – 19 May 1888
Preceded by	Ernest Stevens
Succeeded by	Richard Casey
Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Bulloo
In office 26 May 1888 – 25 April 1893
Preceded by	New seat
Succeeded by	John Leahy
Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Logan
In office 4 April 1896 – 25 July 1896
Preceded by	Ernest Stevens
Succeeded by	James Stodart
Personal details
Born	John Donaldson (1841-10-15)15 October 1841 Purdeet, Victoria
Died	25 July 1896(1896-07-25) (aged 51) Coorparoo, Brisbane
Resting place	Toowong Cemetery
Political party	Ministerial
Spouse(s)	Margaret Walker m.1869 d.?, Gertrude Evelyn Willis (m.1886)
Occupation	Grazier

Donaldson was born in Purdeet, Victoria,^[1] Australia, and initially engaged in squatting pursuits. He moved to New South Wales in 1876 and later to Queensland in 1881.^[2]

Donaldson was elected to the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Warrego on 5 October 1883, holding that seat until 19 May 1888. He subsequently represented Bulloo from 26 May 1888 to 25 April 1893, and later Logan from 4 April 1896 until his death on 25 July 1896.^[3]

He was appointed Postmaster-General of Queensland and Secretary for Public Instruction in the Thomas McIlwraith Ministry on 13 June 1888. When the ministry was restructured under Boyd Dunlop Morehead on 30 November in that year, Donaldson retained these posts until 19 November 1889, when he succeeded William Pattison as Colonial Treasurer.^[2] He resigned along with his colleagues in August 1890 due to the Assembly's opposition to his financial proposals. Donaldson also served as one of Queensland's delegates to the Federation Convention held in Sydney in March 1891.^[2]

Donaldson died in Coorparoo, Queensland, on 25 July 1896. He was survived by his second wife, Gertrude Evelyn (née Willis), two sons from his first marriage to Margaret (née Walker) (who predeceased him), and a son and two daughters from his second marriage.^[1]

Following a short service at his late Coorparoo residence,^[4] Donaldson was buried in Toowong Cemetery.^[5]

References

1. O'Keeffe, Mary. "Donaldson, John (1841–1896)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
2. Mennell, Philip (1892). "Donaldson, Hon. John" . The Dictionary of Australasian Biography. London: Hutchinson & Co – via Wikisource.
3. "Part 2.15 – Alphabetical Register of Members of the Legislative Assembly 1860–2017 and the Legislative Council 1860–1922" (PDF). Queensland Parliamentary Record 2015–2017: The 55th Parliament. Queensland Parliament. Archived from the original on 26 April 2020. Retrieved 27 April 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
4. "THE LATE MR. J. DONALDSON". The Brisbane Courier. National Library of Australia. 27 July 1896. p. 6. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
5. Donaldson John Archived 4 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine — Brisbane City Council Grave Location Search. Retrieved 4 January 2015.

Parliament of Queensland
Preceded by Ernest James Stevens	Member for Warrego 1883 – 1888	Succeeded by Richard Casey
New seat	Member for Bulloo 1888 – 1893	Succeeded by John Leahy
Preceded by Ernest James Stevens	Member for Logan 1896	Succeeded by James Stodart