James Fullford

James Fullford (27 December 1841 – 6 September 1922) was an Australian politician with extensive experience in local government.

Fullford served as the town clerk of West Maitland Municipal Council before being elected as an alderman and holding the position of mayor for two years. He represented the New South Wales West Maitland electorate in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from November 1880 to November 1882. After a several years as an alderman on Waverley council, Fullford served as an alderman and mayor of the newly-formed Dundas municipality, a district on Sydney's north-western outskirts.

Biography

Early years

James Fullford was born on 27 December 1841 at West Maitland, the son of James Fullford and Grace Sophia (née Hartley). His father was a publican.Fulford family, Free Settler or Felon: Convict and Colonial History website; accessed 20 October 2025.Family records, Ancestry.com.

Young James was educated by Mr. Robinson at East Maitland and also attended the Maitland Grammar School.C. N. Connolly (1983), 'Fullford, James', Biographical Register of the New South Wales Parliament 1856-1901, Canberra: Australian National University Press, page 116; online version accessed 20 October 2025.

Work and local government

As a young man Fullford served on the administrative and clerical staff of the Maitland Mercury.Death of Mr. James Fullford, The Maitland Daily Mercury, 6 September 1922, page 4.

James Fullford and Emily Jane Atkinson were married at East Maitland on 21 August 1861.

At a meeting of the West Maitland Municipal Council held on 2 January 1868 an election to fill the office of town clerk was carried out, with James Fullford (junior) being elected from a field of sixteen candidates.West Maitland Municipal Council, The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River Advertiser, 4 January 1868, page 4. It was later said of Fullford that during his six-year tenure as council clerk he was "always courteous and obliging to the ratepayers, and never failed to do his duty."Borough of West Maitland: Election of Mayor, The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River Advertiser, 11 February 1879, page 4. He was succeeded as council clerk by Thomas Hughes in late 1874.Maitland Native: Death in Sydney, The Newcastle Sun, 6 September 1922, page 5.A Veteran Council Clerk, The Maitland Weekly Mercury, 25 May 1907, page 13.

In December 1874 the publican's license of Fullford's Family Hotel in West Maitland was transferred from James Fullford (senior) to James Fullford (junior).Transfer of License, The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River Advertiser, 24 December 1874, page 3.

In late January 1875 Fullford nominated for election as an alderman in the West Maitland Municipal Council.The Municipal Elections, The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River Advertiser, 28 January 1875, page 2. At the election held on 5 February 1875, Fullford was successful as one of the four newly-elected aldermen.The municipal elections..., The Singleton Argus and Upper Hunter General Advocate, 10 February 1875, page 4. Fullford served as an alderman on West Maitland Municipal Council for six years, from 1875 to 1880, and held the position of mayor in the last two years of his service. At the first meeting of West Maitland Municipal Council for 1879 Alderman Fullford was elected as mayor "without opposition". At a special meeting of the West Maitland Council in early February 1880, Fullford was unanimously re-elected as mayor for the following year, "the aldermen generally paying a high tribute to his ability".Election of Mayor of West Maitland, Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate, 11 February 1880, page 2.

Political career

In late 1880 Fullford decided to contest the New South Wales elections for the West Maitland electorate. Two candidates were nominated for the electorate, Fullford and the sitting member Henry Emanuel Cohen.West Maitland – 1880, 'New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007', Parliament of New South Wales website; accessed 20 October 2025. Cohen had been elected for the previous two terms as the local member in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly and had served as Colonial Treasurer in the James Farnell ministry from December 1877 to December 1878.G. F. J. Bergman (1969), Henry Emanuel Cohen (1840–1912), Australian Dictionary of Biography website, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University; accessed 20 October 2025.West Maitland Nomination, Sydney Morning Herald, 24 November 1880, page 3. At the election held in November 1880 Fullford was elected to represent the West Maitland electorate in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, defeating the sitting member. Fullford topped the poll with 612 votes (or 58.6 percent).The Electorate of West Maitland, The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River Advertiser, 27 November 1880, page 3.

On 23 November 1882 a notice from Fullford, addressed to "the electors of West Maitland", was published in The Maitland Mercury stating his intention to seek re-election "at the forthcoming election".The Electors of West Maitland, The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River Advertiser, 23 November 1882, page 2. However within a few days it was reported that Fullford "has announced his intention of not again seeking the suffrages of the electors".West Maitland, Sydney Morning Herald, 27 November 1882, page 7. Fullford did not re-contest the West Maitland seat at the general election of November 1882.West Maitland – 1882, 'New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007', Parliament of New South Wales website; accessed 20 October 2025.

Waverley

During his term as a member of the Legislative Assembly Fullford had lived at 'Garfield' in Leichhardt Street, Waverley (in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs), a home he maintained until his death in 1922.Obituary: Mr. James Fullford, The Daily Telegraph (Sydney), 7 September 1922, page 6.To James Fullford..., Sydney Morning Herald, 28 January 1882, page 10. After retiring as a member of parliament in 1883 Fullford was elected as an alderman of the Waverley Borough Council.Borough Council, Sydney Morning Herald, 12 April 1883, page 5.

At the assembly to elect a mayor of Waverley in February 1884, the meeting was held in open council for the first time at the request of Alderman Fullford. The retiring mayor, W. H. Simpson, was re-elected unanimously.Waverley, Daily Telegraph (Sydney), 14 February 1884, page 4. Fullford continued to serve as an alderman of Waverley Council until he resigned in about May 1888.Waverley, Daily Telegraph (Sydney), 25 May 1887, page 3.Borough of Waverley, Sydney Morning Herald, 5 May 1888, page 3.

Fullford and his wife had no children of their own but the couple adopted and raised the five children of Fullford's younger brother and his wife, who were orphaned in August 1885.Obituary: Death of Mrs. Fullford, The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate (Parramatta), 26 October 1895, page 8.

Dundas

By 1888 Fullford had turned his attention to a new council area being formed on Sydney's north-western suburban fringe. The area comprising the Dundas municipality was incorporated on 23 March 1889, when the "Borough of Dundas" was proclaimed in the lands east of Parramatta.Proclamation by His Excellency..., New South Wales Government Gazette (Sydney), 26 March 1889 (Issue No. 177), pages 2307-2308. In April 1889 Fullford declared himself to be a candidate to stand as an alderman for the Dundas Borough Council.To the Electors of the Borough of Dundas, The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate (Parramatta), 27 April 1889, page 5. The first election of aldermen for the newly-formed municipality took place in May 1889, with twenty candidates contesting nine seats. James Fullford was one of the elected aldermen.Dundas Municipal Election, Sydney Morning Herald, 20 May 1889, page 6. The election of the first mayor of the Dundas Municipality took place on 22 May 1889 at the Rydalmere Hall in Rydalmere, with Alderman Fullford being unanimously elected to the position.The election of the first Mayor..., Daily Telegraph (Sydney), 23 May 1889, page 5.

At a meeting of Dundas Council in February 1890 Fullford was re-elected as mayor.Dundas, The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate (Parramatta), 15 February 1890, page 7. Fullford was elected mayor of Dundas for the following two years until he retired from the position (and as an alderman) in February 1893.Borough of Dundas, New South Wales Government Gazette (Sydney), 17 February 1891 (Issue No. 113), page 1392.Municipality of Dundas, New South Wales Government Gazette (Sydney), 12 February 1891 (Issue No. 97), page 1232. During his period as mayor of Dundas, Fullford resided at 'The Retreat', a ten-room homestead at Ermington on land incorporating a six-acre orchard.A Big Sale at Ermington, The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate (Parramatta), 18 February 1893, page 2. At the special meeting of the Dundas Borough Council in February 1893 Frederick C. Cox was elected to the position of mayor. At the same meeting Fullford was nominated for one of the two council auditor positions and was returned unopposed.Dundas, Sydney Morning Herald, 16 February 1893, page 4.Dundas, The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate (Parramatta), 11 February 1893, page 2.

Return to Waverley

Fullford left the Dundas district in February 1893 to return to live in Waverley, though he maintained a continuing connection with Dundas until 1901 by serving in successive years as an auditor of the municipal council.The Retiring Mayor, The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate (Parramatta), 28 January 1893, page 1.Each reference from The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate (Parramatta): Dundas: A Very Happy Family, 10 February 1894, page 6; Dundas, 9 February 1895, page 2; Dundas, 8 February 1896, page 7; Municipal District of Dundas, 28 August 1897, page 12; Dundas, 5 February 1898, page 11; Dundas, 4 February 1899, page 12; Dundas Council, 31 March 1900, page 10. See also: Municipal Elections, Daily Telegraph (Sydney), 30 January 1901, page 5.

In January 1894 Fullford placed a newspaper notice advising that he had consented to be nominated as an alderman for the Lawson ward of Waverley Council, but shortly afterwards withdrew his nomination.Borough of Waverley, Sydney Morning Herald, 29 January 1894, page 7; The Municipal Elections, Evening News (Sydney), 7 February 1894, page 2.

Fullford's wife, Emily Jane, died at her residence in Leichhardt Street, Waverley, on 10 October 1895, aged 52.Deaths, The Maitland Daily Mercury, 26 October 1895, page 1. For the last twenty years of her life Emily Fullford had suffered "from a complication of diseases affecting the heart, lungs and kidneys".

In January 1897 Grace Sophia Fullford, James Fullford's eldest niece and adopted daughter, died at his home in Waverley, aged 23.Deaths, The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate (Parramatta), 6 February 1897, page 4.

In December 1903 Fullford was one of two valuers appointed by Waverley council "to make a valuation of all ratable property in the Borough of Waverley for the municipal year 1904-5".Borough of Waverley, Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales (Sydney), 29 December 1903 (Issue No. 681), page 9498.

James Fullford died on 6 September 1922, aged 80, at a private hospital at Marrickville.

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