Newton James Moore KCMG VD MP (1870 - 1936)

Born Newton Henderson Moore on 17th May 1870 at Fremantle, Western Australia, he was a son of James Moore, auctioneer and later mayor of Bunbury, and Elizabeth Dawson, schoolteacher.^[1][2] The family relocated to Bunbury, in Western Australia's south, soon after. Newton was educated at Arthur Street Primary School, Bunbury and Prince Alfred College, Adelaide, South Australia^[3]. In 1886, he was apprenticed as a surveyor to Alexander Forrest. After qualifying in 1894, he worked as a contract surveyor in and around the Bunbury area. He began a long association with the Western Australian militia in 1893, being awarded the Volunteer Officer's Decoration for twenty years service in 1913.

In April 1898 he married Isabella Lowrie, sister of William Lowrie, at Bunbury, Western Australia.^[4]

In 1899 Moore was elected to the Bunbury Municipal Council, and was Mayor of Bunbury from 1900 to 1904.

In 1904, Moore contested and won the Western Australian Legislative Assembly seat of Bunbury. Within twelve months he was appointed Minister for Lands and Agriculture. In 1906, at 36 years of age, he became Premier of Western Australia; bringing stability to a volatile parliament. He placed his emphasis on agriculture and rural development, establishing the Wheatbelt and implementing the Income and Land Tax. Moore was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in 1908. He resigned the premiership in 1910 citing ill-health. In the King's Birthday Honours 1910 he was created Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in recognition of service to the Western Australian Parliament. A year later he resigned his Bunbury seat to take up the office of Agent-General for Western Australia in London.

Having risen to Lieutenant Colonel and commanding officer of the 18th Australian Light Horse Regiment, in 1908 Moore was commanding officer of the 5th Military District Intelligence Section. He continued to hold that position even after moving to London. On 2nd December 1915, while still Agent-General, the Australian government appointed Moore General Officer Commanding the Australian Imperial Forces in the United Kingdom. He was promoted to Major General. His military appointment was terminated in May 1917.^[5]

Moore resigned as Agent-General in August 1918 and was elected to the British House of Commons. For ten years, he was Chairman of the Standing Orders Committee of the House of Commons. He established himself as an excellent representative of Australia, and his opinion on Empire matters was highly valued by British ministers, conservative and other. After retiring from politics in 1932, Moore became President of the British Empire Steel Corporation, a company with interests in Western Australia and Canada. He was also a director of several other companies important to Western Australia's trade.

Moore passed away, aged 66 years, at a nursing home following surgery on 28th October 1936 in Marylebone, London, England.^[6]

Newton Moore Senior High School in Bunbury is named in his honour and memory.

Sources

1. ↑ Western Australia Birth Index #12209/1870
2. ↑ note: the Henderson appears to have been dropped after birth regn and replaced with James
3. ↑ MR. N. J. MOORE. (1904, July 6). The Evening Star (Boulder, WA : 1898 - 1921), p. 3. Retrieved August 13, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article204529309
4. ↑ Western Australia Marriage Index #1594/1898
5. ↑ Australian War Memorial nominal roll: Brigadier General Sir Newton Moore; accessed 22 Jan 2019
6. ↑ UK FreeBMD Dec qtr 1936, vol 1a, page 610

See also

• Australian Dictionary of Biographies: Newton Moore; accessed 12 Jun 2018.
• Wikipedia: Newton Moore; accessed 12 Jun 2018.