Frank Cowcher

Frank Cowcher
Member of the Legislative Assembly
of Western Australia
In office
28 June 1904 – 3 October 1911
Preceded byFrederick Piesse
Succeeded byNone (abolished)
ConstituencyWilliams
Personal details
Born(1854-12-30)30 December 1854
Barragup, Western Australia, Australia
Died4 August 1925(1925-08-04) (aged 70)
Williams, Western Australia, Australia

George Stanyford Francis "Frank" Cowcher (30 December 1854 – 4 August 1925) was an Australian farmer and politician who was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1904 to 1911, representing the seat of Williams.

Cowcher was born in Barragup, a rural locality that is now a suburb of Mandurah.[1] From a farming background, he became prominent in agricultural circles himself, helping to found the Williams Agricultural Society for the improvement of agriculture in the Williams district.[2] Cowcher served on both the Wandering and Williams Road Boards at various stages, including as chairman of the latter.[1] He entered parliament at the 1904 state election, winning 45.0 percent of the vote as an independent. He was subsequently re-elected with large majorities at the 1905 and 1908 elections, running as a Ministerialist. Prior to the 1911 election, Cowcher's seat was abolished and replaced with the seat of Williams-Narrogin. He attempted to move seats, but was defeated by Bertie Johnston of the Labor Party.[3] He made one final run for parliament at the 1920 Legislative Council elections, but lost to James Greig in South-East Province. Cowcher died in Williams in August 1925, aged 70. He had married Emma Sophie Farmer in 1882, with whom he had four sons and four daughters.[1]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c George Stanyford Francis (Frank) Cowcher – Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  2. ^ "DEATH OF MR. G. S. F. COWCHER", Great Southern Leader, 21 August 1925.
  3. ^ Black, David; Prescott, Valerie (1997). Election statistics : Legislative Assembly of Western Australia, 1890-1996. Perth, [W.A.]: Western Australian Parliamentary History Project and Western Australian Electoral Commission. ISBN 0730984095.
Parliament of Western Australia
Preceded by Member for Williams
1904–1911
Abolished