James Speed (Australian politician)

Speed was born on 10 August 1856 in Wanganui, Wellington Province, New Zealand. His parents were James, a licensed publican, and Janet Montgomery. He was educated at Nelson College and the University of New Zealand. Following that, he worked as a lawyer in Wellington and Auckland.[1]

Speed played in four first-class matches for Wellington from 1877 to 1880.[2][3]

In 1892, Speed moved to Perth, Western Australia. He married Louisa Katherine Carey (née Hester, born c. January 1856) on 25 March 1894 at St John's Church, Perth. She died on 15 November 1894. On 14 February 1895, Speed married Georgina Henrietta Spencer (born c. March 1872) at a private residence at Wilberforce, near York, Western Australia. No children resulted from either marriage.[1]

From June 1897 to November 1900, Speed was on the Perth City Council.[1]

At the September 1900 Western Australian Legislative Council election, Speed was elected as one of three inaugural members of the Metropolitan-Suburban Province, alongside William Brookman and Adam Jameson. His term started on 29 August 1900. Upon election, he was not a member of any political party, but was a delegate from the Parliamentary Labor Party to the August 1901 Labor Congress. He did not win re-election at the 1902 Western Australian Legislative Council election, with his term running out on 21 May 1902. He unsuccessfully stood for the electoral district of West Perth in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly at the 1905 Western Australian state election on 27 October 1905.[1]

Speed left Perth around 1915. He died in Paris, on 9 July 1925, and was buried at Karrakatta Cemetery in Perth.[1]

• Warren Bert Kimberly (1897). History of West Australia: A Narrative Of Her Past Together With Biographies Of Her Leading Men. pp. 206–207 – via Wikisource.