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Biographical entry Chidley, William James (1860? - 1916)
- Born
- 1860?
Victoria, Australia - Died
- 21 December 1916
Callan Park, New South Wales, Australia - Occupation
- Philosopher
Summary
William James Chidley was a philosopher and eccentric who had original theories including one on how to deal with human misery: he recommended vegetarianism, fresh air, sunlight and unrestrictive clothing. He also criticised money-making and class distinction. Another of Chidley's postulates was that there was a "correct" method of sexual intercourse and published a book, The Answer, which he sold in the street. Because of this and because of his bizarre method of dressing he was deemed insane and several times committed to mental hospitals. He also suffered from intermittent spells of alcoholism.
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Published resources
Book Sections
- McInerney, Sally, 'Chidley, William James (1860?-1916)', in Bede Nairn and Geoffrey Serle (eds), Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol. 7, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 1979, pp. 635-636. Also available at http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A070644b.htm. Details
Online Resources
- National Library of Australia, 'Chidley, William James', Trove, National Library of Australia and the Australian National Maritime Museum Darling Harbour, 2009, http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-478566. Details
Rosanne Walker
Created: 30 June 1997, Last modified: 26 March 2007