Biographical entry Harper, Charles (1842 - 1912)

Summary

Charles Harper was a successful businessman who worked in a variety of fields: he ran several sheep stations and mixed farms; carried out vital research into farming and agricultural techniques and was the first person in Western Australia to irrigate with artesian water; invented many useful technologies including a shearing machine and a process for treating effluent from septic tanks; a proprietor of three newspapers (Western Australian Times, West Australian, Western Mail); a successful pearler; a long-term member of the Legislative Council; a Parliamentary Speaker and a chair of many royal commissions. Harper also explored remote parts of Western Australia in search of pastoral lands (1860s) and became fluent in the local Aboriginal language.

Details

At a very young age (around 16), Charles Harper set off to the south-east of Western Australia to establish his own farm. He spent several years farming there before joining the search for pastoral lands in the Yilgarn district. He then took up pearling for a short term and from those proceeds bought into the de Gray sheep station (1871). He sold his share in 1878 and bought into a smaller property in Yanrey.

In 1879 Harper bought the Western Australian Times newspaper, got married and moved to Woodbridge where he established a mixed sheep, dairy, wheat and orchard farm. The farm proved to be very successful and lead to many agricultural advances including irrigation with artesian water and the establishment of the first local wheat varieties. In 1885 he established the West Australian and Western Mail newspapers and used them to report his farming research findings.

Charles Harper joined the Legislative Council in 1878 as a representative of the North District. He spent the most part of the next twenty-seven years in the Council representing various districts. Harper also chaired many royal commissions including those into customs (1893) and immigration (1905) and was appointed parliamentary Speaker in 1903 by the Liberal premier Walter James.

Events

1861

Career position - Exploration for pastoral lands in the Yilgarn district of Western Australia (WA)

1864

Career position - Exploration for pastoral lands in the Yilgarn district

1866

Career position - Exploration for pastoral lands in Roebourne, WA

1871 - 1878

Career position - Co-owner of de Grey station in WA

1878 - 1880

Career position - North District representative of the Legislative Council

1878 - 1904

Career position - Co-owner of a station in Yanrey, WA

1879 -

Career position - Proprietor of the Western Australian Times newspaper

1884 - 1890

Career position - York representative of the Legislative Council

1885 -

Career position - Owner of the West Australian and Western Mail newspapers

1890 - 1905

Career position - Beverley representative in the Legislative Assembly

1893

Career position - Chair of the Royal commission on customs

1897

Career position - Chair of Committees

1902

Career position - Chair of the Royal commission on the Coolgardie water scheme

1903

Career position - Chair of the Royal commission on forestry

1904

Career position - Speaker of the WA Parliament

1905

Career position - Chair of the Royal commission on immigration

Published resources

Books

• Mercer, F. R., The Life of Charles Harper, Perth, 1958. Details

Book Sections

• Battye, O. K., 'Harper, Charles (1842-1912), agriculturist, legislator and newspaper proprietor', in Douglas Pike (ed.), Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol. 4, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 1972, pp. 348-349. Also available at http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A040395b.htm. Details

Online Resources

• National Library of Australia, 'Harper, Charles', Trove, National Library of Australia and the Australian National Maritime Museum Darling Harbour, 2009, http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-557971. Details