John Street (Australian politician)

John Rendell Street MLC
Member of Legislative Assembly of New South Wales for East Sydney
In office 5 February 1887 (1887-02-05) – 23 March 1891 (1891-03-23)
Personal details
Born	(1832-10-19)19 October 1832 Woodlands, New South Wales
Died	23 March 1891(1891-03-23) (aged 58) Elizabeth Bay, New South Wales
Citizenship	Australia
Political party	Free Trade
Spouse(s)	Susanna Caroline Lawson
Children	Sir Philip Whistler Street
Relatives	Street family

John Rendell Street, MLC (19 October 1832 – 23 March 1891) was an Australian politician and businessman. He served as the successor of Sir Edmund Barton, 1st Prime Minister of Australia, in his New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of East Sydney, holding this office until his death on the 23rd of March, 1891.^[1]

Background

John Rendell Street was born in Woodlands, New South Wales, to businessman John Wood Street and Maria (née Rendell) Street. His father was a descendant of the English judge Sir Thomas Street. Sir Thomas became mayor of Worcester in 1667, as his father George Streete had been, before becoming Chief Justice for Brecknock, Glamorgan and Radnor from 1677 to 1681, and a Baron of the Exchequer from April 1681 to 1684.^[2]

Business

He first entered business in Sydney in 1849, working with Smith, Crawford & Co. He would later be made a partner at Allen, Street & Norton. In 1885 he became managing director of the Perpetual Trustee Company. He was a director of Colonial Mutual Life Assurance Company, a director of the Sydney Ice Company and a vice president of Sydney Hospital.^[3]

Political career

In 1887 he was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly as a Free Trade member for East Sydney, a position he held until his death at Elizabeth Bay in 1891.^[4] John was the first member of the Street family to make an entry into Australian politics.

His son Sir Phillip Whistler Street would go on to become Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales and Lieutenant Governor of New South Wales, as would his grandson Sir Kenneth Whistler Street and his great-grandson Sir Laurence Whistler Street.^[5]

Family

On 4 December 1860, he married Susanna Caroline Lawson, granddaughter of explorer William Lawson, who discovered the first crossing across the Blue Mountains alongside Gregory Blaxland and William Wentworth on the 1813 crossing of the Blue Mountains expedition.

John had seven children with Maria, the eldest son being (Sir) Philip Whistler Street.^[6] His third son E. Henry Street married Emma Margaret Browne on 1 June 1892, She was the second daughter of T. A. Browne ("Rolf Boldrewood").

References