William Silas Pearse
William Silas Pearse | |
|---|---|
| Born | Error: Invalid birth date for calculating age Fremantle, Swan River Colony |
| Died | December 30, 1908 (aged 70) Clifton, Bristol, England |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, pastoralist, legislator |
| Years active | 1866–1895 |
| Known for | Member of the Parliament of Western Australia; inaugural mayor of Fremantle |
William Silas Pearse (21 May 1838 – 30 December 1908) was a prominent Australian entrepreneur, pastoralist, and legislator who held positions in both chambers of the Parliament of Western Australia. He served as a member of the Legislative Council from 1872 until 1880 and again between 1884 and 1890, before representing the Legislative Assembly from 1890 to 1895.
Early life
Pearse was born in Fremantle to Susannah (née Glyde) and William Silas Pearse Sr, early settlers of the Swan River Colony. Receiving private education, he later joined forces with his brother George to establish a butchery and tannery business in Fremantle. Their enterprise grew to include ship ownership and importation, broadening their commercial portfolio. In 1866, Pearse secured election to the Fremantle Town Trust, was re-elected in 1868, and appointed as chairman. Following the transition of the trust into a town council in 1871, he became Fremantle's inaugural mayor, a role he held until 1872, while continuing as a councillor until 1874.
Politics
Pearse entered the Legislative Council in 1872 as one of the representatives for the Fremantle seat, serving alongside William Marmion. In 1874, he and his brother undertook an expedition into the Murchison district, where they founded Meka Station. He resigned from the Council in 1880 to dedicate himself to pastoral interests, acquiring stakes in three Kimberley leases—Meda Station, Oobagooma Station, and Liveringa Station—in 1881. Pearse returned to legislative duties in 1884, remaining until responsible government was introduced in 1890. At the inaugural election for the Legislative Assembly that year, he won the seat for North Fremantle. He secured re-election in 1894 but stepped down in April 1895 to embark on a European trip with his family.
Later life
After retiring, Pearse settled in England at Clifton, Bristol, where he passed away in December 1908 at age seventy. He married twice: initially in 1862 to Johannah Hawkes, with whom he had one daughter; following Johannah's death in 1892, he wed Alice Higham (née Glyde), widow of Edward Higham, in 1893. His family connections included his son-in-law, George Hubble, who also served as a parliamentarian.