William Crowther (Australian politician)

Infobox Officeholder
honorific-prefix = Dr
name = William Crowther
honorific-suffix = FRCS

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imagesize =
small

caption =
order = 14th
office = Premier of Tasmania
term_start = 20 December 1878
term_end = 29 October 1879
deputy =
governor =
predecessor = William Giblin
successor = William Giblin
constituency =
majority =
birth_date = birth date|1817|4|15
birth_place = Haarlem, Netherlands
death_date = death date and age|1885|4|12|1817|4|15
death_place = Hobart, Tasmania
restingplace =
restingplacecoordinates =
birthname = William Lodewyk Crowther
nationality =
party =
otherparty =
spouse = Sarah Victoria Marie Louise Muller
relations =
children =
alma_mater =
profession = Surgeon
religion =
footnotes =

William Lodewyk Crowther, FRCS, (15 April 1817 – 12 April 1885) was an Australian politician, who was Premier of Tasmania 20 December 1878 to 29 October 1879.

Early life

Crowther was born in Haarlem, Netherlands, elder child of Dr. William Crowthercite web |url=http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A030469b.htm |title=Crowther, William Lodewyk (1817 - 1885) |accessdate=2007-09-01 |author=W. E. L. H. Crowther |work=Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 3 |publisher=MUP |year=1969 |pages=pp 501-503] who was later a long-time resident surgeon of Hobart.cite web |url=http://gutenberg.net.au/dictbiog/0-dict-biogCl-Cu.html#crowther1 |title=Crowther, William Lodewyk |accessdate=2007-09-01 |author=Percival Serle |work=Dictionary of Australian Biography |publisher=Angus & Robertson |year=1949] . The Crowthers moved to Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania) in 1824.

Crowther was educated at a private school at Richard B. Claiborne's Grammar School in Longford, Tasmania and then went to St Thomas' Hospital, England to study medicine. In 1842 he returned to Tasmania and practised at Hobart.

Political career

Crowther was elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly in October 1866, but resigned his seat in December 1866. On 22 March 1869, he was elected to the Tasmanian Legislative Council as a representative of Hobart and held this seat until his death. He was a constant attendant and an able speaker. In July 1876 he joined the Thomas Reibey cabinet as a minister without portfolio, and on 20 December 1878 became premier. The state of the political parties at that time made it practically impossible to do anything constructive. Crowther resigned on 29 October 1879.

Legacy

Crowther died in Hobart on 12 April 1885. He married Victoria Marie Louise, daughter of General Muller, who survived him with eight children. One of his sons, Dr Edward. L. Crowther, was a member of the Tasmanian parliament from 1878 to 1912.

A statue of W. L. Crowther is erected in Franklin Square, Hobart. The inscription reads:

quote|Erected
By a grateful public,
And sincere personal friends,
To perpetuate the memory of long and
Zealous political and professional service
In this colony
By
William Lodewyk Crowther
F. R. S. C. England

The W.L. Crowther Library was named in his memory, and presented to the State Library of Tasmania by his grandson Sir William Crowther (1887–1981).

References

External links

* [http://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/history/tasparl/crowtherw93.htm Parliamentary Library profile]