David Storey (politician)

Australian politician

David Storey

Storey, 1920

Minister of Public Health
In office
18 July 1919 – 29 January 1920
Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
for Randwick
In office
17 July 1894 – 31 January 1920
Member of the
New South Wales Legislative Council
In office
27 April 1920 – 27 July 1924
Personal details
Born| 18 August 1856
County Monaghan, Ireland
Died| 27 July 1924(1924-07-27) (aged 67)
Randwick, New South Wales
Political party| Free Trade
Liberal Reform Party
Nationalist Party
Spouse|

Rachael Agnes Doig

(m. 1883)​

Children| 3

Sir David Storey (18 August 1856 - 27 July 1924) was an Irish-born Australian politician and businessman. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1894 to 1920 and the New South Wales Legislative Council from 1920 until his death in 1924, representing the Free Trade Party and its successors the Liberal Reform Party and Nationalist Party. He was Minister of Public Health in the Nationalist ministry of William Holman in 1919–20.

## Early life and business career[edit]

Storey was born and educated in County Monaghan, Ireland, the son of farmer Robert Storey and Margaret Colvin. After completing his education, he worked for softgoods merchant James Hartley in County Cavan and then as a representative of the firm of Lindsay Brothers Ltd. in north-western Ireland.[1]

Storey emigrated to Sydney in 1879, working as a departmental manager for the firm of Ross, Morgan and Robertson. In 1881, he formed an importing firm in partnership with James C. Lindsay, a principal of his old firm in Ireland, and continued on the business as David Storey & Co. after dissolving the partnership in 1883. He became chairman of the Commercial Travellers Association of New South Wales in 1893, was chairman of the board of the Insurance Office of Australia, president of the Ulster Association of New South Wales, was a director of the Society for the Relief of Destitute Children from 1903 and was foundation president of the Bronte Surf Bathing Association in 1907. Storey was actively involved in the free trade movement, serving as secretary of the Freetrade and Land Reformist League in the 1890s.[1][2][3]

## Political career[edit]

In 1894, he was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly as the Free Trade member for Randwick,[4] defeating future Prime Minister of Australia Edmund Barton. He joined the Liberal Reform Party in 1901. He led a group of 7 rebels who objected to Premier Charles Wade's autocratic leadership and his tactics at the 1910 election. He attempted to form a new political party, the Democratic Party, however that collapsed in October 1911 when the party refused to support a candidate to contest the Maitland by-election.[5] Storey re-joined the Liberal Reform party before the 1913 election.[6] In November 1916 Labor split over conscription, when Premier Holman and twenty of his supporters were expelled from the party.[7] Storey helped to establish the grand coalition with Holman and his supporters and by 1917 this had coalesced into the Nationalist Party of Australia, which Storey claimed to have named.[1] He was an minister without portfolio in the Holman Nationalist ministry from 1916 to 1919, when he became Minister of Public Health. He had reportedly declined earlier offers of a ministry in the Carruthers ministry due to his business interests. He resigned from the ministry and from the Legislative Assembly in 1920 and was appointed to the Legislative Council four months later, serving until his death in 1924.[1][8]

## Personal life[edit]

He married Rachel Agnes Doig in Sydney on 4 July 1883.[1]

Storey was knighted in the 1923 New Year Honours.[9] and died in Randwick, New South Wales from pneumonia on 27 July 1924(1924-07-27) (aged 67) and was buried at South Head Cemetery.[8][2][10] He was survived by his wife Rachel, daughter and 4 sons.[1][11]

## Arms[edit]

Coat of arms of David Storey

Notes
Granted 28 March 1911 by Nevile Rodwell Wilkinson, Ulster King of Arms.[12]
Crest
On a garb fessways Or banded Gules a stork Proper.
Torse
Of the colours.
Escutcheon
Per fess Or and Azure a pale counterchanged three storks Sable beaked and membered Gules and as many garbs of the first banded of the last.
Motto
Ciconia Fausta Avis

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f Rutledge, Martha. "Storey, Sir David (1856–1924)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
2. ^ a b "Sir David Storey". The West Australian. 28 July 1924. p. 7. Retrieved 15 July 2021 - via Trove.
3. ^ "Mr. David Storey". The Daily Telegraph. 30 January 1920. p. 4. Retrieved 15 July 2021 - via Trove.
4. ^ Green, Antony. "Elections for the District of Randwick". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
5. ^ "Scattered". The Evening News. 31 October 1911. p. 6. Retrieved 9 October 2021 - via Trove.
6. ^ "Randwick: Mr Storey's campaign, Democratic Party history". The Sydney Morning Herald. 4 November 1913. p. 7. Retrieved 9 October 2021 - via Trove.
7. ^ "PLL expulsions". The Sydney Morning Herald. 7 November 1916. p. 7. Retrieved 7 May 2020 - via Trove.
8. ^ a b "Sir David Storey (1856–1924)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
9. ^ "No. 32782". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 December 1922. p. 2.
10. ^ "Sir David Storey". The Sydney Morning Herald. 28 July 1924. p. 8. Retrieved 15 July 2021 - via Trove.
11. ^ "Storey, Theo W. (1891–1956)". Obituaries Australia. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
12. ^ "Grants and Confirmations of Arms Vol. K". National Library of Ireland. p. 281. Retrieved 25 June 2022.

Parliament of New South Wales

Political offices
Preceded by

Jack FitzGerald

|  Minister of Public Health
1916 - 1919  | Succeeded by

Greg McGirr

as Minister of Public Health and Motherhood
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
New district |  Member for Randwick
1894–1920  | District abolished

Authority control databases: People |

* Australia
* Trove

|

*[m.]: married