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Sunday's Obituary - William Henry Lambert (1881-1928)


My Great Grand Uncle William Henry Lambert was born in 1881 near Orange, New South Wales to James Lambert and his wife Elizabeth (nee O'Brien). Starting out working in shearing sheds, he progressed through the ranks of the Australian Workers Union becoming Secretary of the Central Branch 1915-1921.  Active in the Anti-Conscription movement he progressed in Labor Party politics becoming NSW State President 1917-1921.  Elected as a Alderman for Denison Ward in the Sydney Municipal Council in 1918, he served as the Lord Mayor of Sydney in 1921.  He left the Sydney Municipal Council in 1924.  In 1921 he was elected to the House of Representatives in the safe Labor seat of Western Sydney and continued in that seat until 1928.  William married Bertha Anne McConnell in Dubbo, New South Wales in 1909, they had no children.


Source: OBITUARY. (1928, September 10). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), p. 7. Retrieved May 26, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article16493149

Transcript:

OBITUARY.
MR. W.H. LAMBERT, M.P.


The funeral of the late Mr. William Henry Lambert, M.P., took place on Saturday morning from the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, Kensington.  A requiem mass was celebrated by the Rev. Father O'Sullivan, who was assisted by the Rev. Father McAuliffe.  The Rev. Father O'Sullivan officiated at the graveside, in Randwick Cemetery.
The chief mourners were Mrs. Lambert (widow), Miss Tilly Lambert, Mrs. L. Kelly, Mrs. E. Thorne, Mrs. M. Donnelly, Mrs. M. Finegan, Mrs. B. Donnelly (sisters), Mr Frank Lambert, Mr. James Lambert, (brothers), Mr. Jack O'Brien, and Mr. W.A. Lambert (cousins).
The Minister for Home and Territories (Sir Neville Howse) represented the Federal Government, and others present were Senator Gardiner, Messrs. Edward Riley, senior, M.P., E.C.Riley, junior, M.P., A. Blakeley, M.P., J. West, M.P., Clyne, M.L.A., J. Keegan, M.L.C., J. Hepher, M.L.C., J. Culbert, M.L.C., and George Cann.  The following respresented branches of the A.L.P.; Messrs. J.P. Stapleton (Daceyville), Alderman A.J. Ward (Glebe), J. Culbert (Camperdown), and W. Padgen (Kensington).  Messrs. J. Meehan (head office, A.L.P.), J.J. Lynch (president railway workers' branch), H.J. Courtney (secretary railway workers' branch), J. Cullinan, A.E. Roberts, and P. Coyle, John Brennan (manager fish markets), J.T. McCann, H. Washington (manager), J.V. Veney, and J. McCann (representing the Catholic Club), H. Walker and W. Dean (Municipal Employees' Union).  Mr. T.J. Donovan (manager and representing the trustees), Mr. and Mrs. R.J. Cassidy (representing the "Worker" newspaper), ex-alderman Frank Green and J.R. English, Messrs. Jack Cullinan, John Nairn, F. McDonald (representing R.H. McDonald), H.A. Horton, W. Vogwell, H. Gleeson, senior, J. Gilchrist, A. Irwin, E. Anderson, H. Freeman, W. Donovan, F. Donovan, J. Cosgrove, F. McGuinness, J. MacKinnon, J. Cullinan, P. Fuary, W.J. O'Brien, R.T.D. O'Halloran, Norman McPhee, W. Retallick, Andrew McElhone, Charles Hackett, J. Davis, R. McAlister, A. Curry, J. Brennan, T. Thick, J. Humphries, J. O'Sullivan, G. Whaite, N. McGuinness, G. Sutherland, Mr. and Mrs. A.H. Thorne, Mr. and Mrs. Shwing.





Source:MR. LAMBERT, M.H.R. (1928, September 7). The Register (Adelaide, SA : 1901 - 1929), p. 11. Retrieved May 26, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article56762146


Transcript:

MR. LAMBERT, M.H.R.
Death in Sydney.

SYDNEY, Thursday.
Mr William Henry Lambert, member of the House of Representatives for West Sydney, and Lord Mayor of Sydney for 1920-21, died suddenly to-night in a private hospital at Randwick.
The late Mr. Lambert became connected with the Australian Workers Union early in his career, and acted as its organizer from 1909 to 1914, and secretary from 1915 to 1921.  He was president of the A.L.P. executive and A.L.P. conference for five consecutive years (1917-1921), and of the interstate conference in one year.  In 1921 he was elected to the Federal Parliament.
Charges by Mr. Lambert in the House of Representatives recently, concerning alleged political graft, caused a sensation, and led to an enquiry by a royal commission.


Prior to doing any research all I knew was that my fathers Grandmother Bridget Donnelly (nee Lambert) had a relative who was a Lord Mayor of Sydney who chose to be officially photographed without the Mayoral robes,  It was also said that he stood on a table and helped convert an entire shearing shed over to the Union when he was quite young.  He has made for very interesting research and it has connected some of the dots for me with regards to the strong Unionism and Labor party political following within parts of my extended family in days gone by.

More information about him can be found at the following websites:


Source: William Henry Lambert, Sydney's Aldermen. Retrieved from http://www.sydneyaldermen.com.au/alderman/william-lambert/





Source: William Henry Lambert, Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved from http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/lambert-william-henry-7015/text12199


NSW BDM Birth Index

13007/1881 LAMBERT WILLIAM H JAMES ELIZABETH CARCOAR
32770/1889 MCCONNELL BERTHA A ARCHIBALD S ELIZABETH ORANGE
32770/1889 MACCONNELL BERTHA A ARCHIBALD S ELIZABETH ORANGE  

NSW BDM Marriage Index

11073/1909 LAMBERT WILLIAM H MACCONNELL BERTHA A DUBBO
11073/1909 LAMBERT WILLIAM H MCCONNELL BERTHA A DUBBO
19581/1929 ASHCROFT STANLEY H LAMBERT BERTHA A ORANGE

NSW BDM Death Index

12728/1928 LAMBERT WILLIAM H JAMES ELIZABETH RANDWICK
45996/1972 ASHCROFT BERTHA ANN ARCHIBALD ELIZABETH ORANGE

Source: NSW BDM Indexes. Retrieved from http://www.bdm.nsw.gov.au/

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