Archibald Gilchrist

Archibald Gilchrist (1878 – 10 March 1955) was an Australian businessman and politician. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1914 to 1917, representing the seat of Gascoyne.

Archibald Gilchrist
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia
In office 4 November 1914 – 29 September 1917
Preceded by	John McDonald
Succeeded by	Edward Angelo
Constituency	Gascoyne
Personal details
Born	1878 North Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Died	10 March 1955 Vaucluse, New South Wales, Australia
Political party	Liberal (to 1917) Nationalist (1917–?)
Other political affiliations	Independent (1937)

Early life

Gilchrist was born in Melbourne to Hadassah (née Kendall) and Archibald Gilchrist, his father being a Presbyterian minister. He was raised in Sydney, and attended Sydney High School before finding work on the staff of the Public Library of New South Wales. Gilchrist moved to Carnarvon, Western Australia, in 1904, where he was the pastor of a Presbyterian church for a period (although without becoming ordained). He was later appointed manager of The Northern Times, a local newspaper which he eventually took over as proprietor.[1]

Politics and military service

In 1913, Gilchrist toured the North-West as an organiser for the Commonwealth Liberal Party, campaigning against the 1913 referendums. He was a prominent advocate of migration schemes, and served as secretary of the New Settlers' League and the Big Brother Movement.[1] At the 1914 state election, Gilchrist was elected to the seat of Gascoyne for the Liberal Party. He defeated John McDonald, the sitting Labor member.[2] Gilchrist enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in December 1915, and served with a medical corps until receiving a medical discharge in December 1916.[1] He returned to Carnarvon in time to contest the 1917 election, but was defeated by Edward Angelo.[2]

Later life

Gilchrist moved to Mildura, Victoria, in 1921, becoming a sub-editor of the Sunraysia Daily. He owned 3TR, a radio station servicing the Gippsland region, from 1934 to 1938, and at the 1937 Victorian state election unsuccessfully ran as an independent in the seat of Gippsland North. Between 1939 and 1945, Gilchrist lived in the United States and gave lectures about Australia on behalf of Rotary International. He died in Sydney in March 1955.[1]

References

1. Archibald Gilchrist – Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
2. 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.