John Woods (Australian politician)

Australian politician

John Woods

Member for Crowlands in the Victorian Legislative Assembly
In office
1859–1864

Serving with John Houston

Preceded by| New creation
Succeeded by| Ronald Campbell
Member for Crowlands in the Victorian Legislative Assembly
In office
1871–1877

Serving with Robert Walker, Colin Campbell

Preceded by| George Rolfe, David Blair
Succeeded by| Seat abolished
Member for Stawell in the Victorian Legislative Assembly
In office
1877–1892
Preceded by| New creation
Succeeded by| John Burton
Personal details
Born| (1822-11-05)5 November 1822
Liverpool, England
Died| 2 April 1892(1892-04-02) (aged 69)
Brighton, Victoria
Resting place| Boroondara General Cemetery
Spouses|

Sarah Gibbons

(m. 1844)​

[1]

Mrs Jessica Muir, nee Whitley

(m. 1891)​

[2]

Parents|

* Richard Woods (father)
* Mary, née Cave (mother)

Profession| Engineer
Portfolio| Railways

John Woods (5 November 1822 – 2 April 1892) was a politician in colonial Victoria (Australia), Minister of Railways.

Woods was the second son[3] of Richard Woods, a Liverpool railwayman, and his wife Mary, née Cave.[1] After being trained as an engineer, he was employed in Canada and England; and landed in Melbourne in 1852, after a chequered experience at the Ovens, M'Ivor, Goulburn, Ararat and Fiery Creek diggings, during which he was a prominent exponent of miners' rights.[3]

John Woods' memorial outside of Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne

Woods was returned to the Victorian Legislative Assembly in October 1859 for the Crowlands district, which he represented until August 1864 and again from April 1871 to April 1877.[2] Woods was then elected for Stawell in May 1877,[2] which he represented till his death. Whilst out of Parliament, from 1865 to 1870, Woods entered the Government service, and was in charge of the works at the Malmesbury reservoir, when he was summarily dismissed on an allegation, into which inquiry was refused, that he had connived at some laches on the part of the contractors.[3] Woods took office as Minister of Railways in the first Graham Berry Government in August 1875, and made some sweeping changes in the tariff of charges. He retired with his colleagues in October of the same year, but was appointed to the same post in the second Berry Administration in May 1877, retiring in March 1880.[3]

Woods died in Brighton, Melbourne, Victoria on 2 April 1892 and was buried in Boroondara General Cemetery.[1]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c Eastwood, Jill. "Woods, John (1822–1892)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
2. ^ a b c "John Woods". Re-Member: a database of all Victorian MPs since 1851. Parliament of Victoria. Archived from the original on 23 April 2023. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
3. ^ a b c d Mennell, Philip (1892). "Woods, Hon. John" . The Dictionary of Australasian Biography. London: Hutchinson & Co - via Wikisource.

Victorian Legislative Assembly

New creation |  Member for Crowlands
1859–1864
Served alongside: John Houston | Succeeded by

Ronald Campbell

Preceded by

George Rolfe
David Blair

|  Member for Crowlands
1871–1877
Served alongside: Robert Walker
Colin Campbell | Seat abolished
New creation |  Member for Stawell
1877–1892  | Succeeded by

John Balfour Burton

Authority control databases: People |

* Trove
* Australia
* Victorian Parliament

|

*[m.]: married