Joseph Carruthers

The Honourable
Sir Joseph Carruthers
KCMG
Carruthers in 1931
16th Premier of New South Wales
In office
29 August 1904 – 1 October 1907
MonarchEdward VII
GovernorSir Harry Rawson
Preceded byThomas Waddell
Succeeded byCharles Wade
Personal details
Born(1857-12-21)21 December 1857
Kiama, New South Wales
Died10 December 1932(1932-12-10) (aged 74)
Waverley, Sydney, New South Wales
Political partyLiberal and Reform Association
Spouse(s)Louise Marion Roberts m. 1879 dis. 1895
Alice Burnett m. 1898
Children4(m), 4(f)
Ellesmere, heritage-listed[1] home of Sir Joseph Carruthers in the Sydney suburb of Sans Souci

Sir Joseph Hector McNeil Carruthers KCMG (21 December 1857 – 10 December 1932)[2] was an Australian politician who served as Premier of New South Wales from 1904 to 1907.

Carruthers is perhaps best remembered for founding the Liberal and Reform Association, the forerunner to the modern Liberal Party of Australia (New South Wales Division). Zachary Gorman has argued that Carruthers played a central role in re-orientating Australian liberalism to sit on the centre-right of the political divide, influencing political developments at both the Federal and State level.[3] According to Percival Serle, few premiers of New South Wales succeeded in doing so much distinguished work. Early in his career, Henry Parkes, recognized Carruthers' untiring energy and ability, acknowledged that if Carruthers' comparatively frail body had allowed him, he might have done even more remarkable work for his own state or for the Commonwealth.[2]

  1. ^ State Heritage Register
  2. ^ a b Serle, Percival (1949). "Carruthers, Sir Joseph Hector McNeil (1857–1932)". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Sydney: Angus & Robertson. Retrieved 26 April 2007.
  3. ^ Gorman, Zachary (2018). Sir Joseph Carruthers: Founder of the New South Wales Liberal Party. Connor Court. ISBN 9781925501766.