James Rowell

{{Short description|English-born Australian politician, soldier and horticulturalist}} {{about||the member of the South Carolina House of Representatives|J. Victor Rowell}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2015}} {{Use Australian English|date=December 2015}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = James Rowell | honorific_suffix = | image = Senator James Rowell (cropped).jpg | title = Senator for South Australia | term_start = 24 May 1917 | term_end = 30 June 1923 | predecessor = William Story | birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1851|1|20}} | birth_place = Cambridge, England | death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1940|7|6|1851|1|20}} | death_place = Lockleys, South Australia, Australia | spouse = {{marriage|Elizabeth Marchant|1874|1881|reason=died}} {{marriage|Zella Williams|1883|1938|reason=died}} | party = Nationalist (1917–22) Liberal (1922–23) | children = | alma_mater = | occupation = Horticulturalist | profession = | signature = | website = | footnotes = | allegiance = Australia | branch = South Australian Military Force Citizens Military Force | service_years = 1877–1910 1915–1917 | rank = Colonel | servicenumber = | unit = | commands = South Australian Brigade 4th Imperial Bushmen | battles = Second Boer War First World War | mawards = Companion of the Order of the Bath Mentioned in Despatches Volunteer Officers' Decoration | relations = Sydney Rowell (son) | laterwork = }} Colonel '''James Rowell''' {{postnominals|country=AUS|size=100%|sep=,|CB|VD}} (20 January 1851 – 6 July 1940) was an Australian soldier and politician. He was a Senator for South Australia from 1917 to 1923, representing the Nationalist Party. He was a long-serving officer in volunteer units, commanding a South Australian colonial unit during the second Boer War and later holding command in the Citizen Military Forces.

==Early life== Rowell was born on 20 January 1851 in Cambridge, England. He was the son of Susan ({{nee|Hall}}) and John Rowell. His father was a gardener at the time of his birth and later became a smallholder.<ref name=adb>{{Cite web|url=https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/rowell-james-8283|title=Rowell, James (1851–1940)|first=S. F.|last=Rowell|volume=11|work=Australian Dictionary of Biography|year=1988}}</ref>

Rowell and his family immigrated to South Australia in 1855. His father took up a property of {{convert|100|acre|ha}} at Lockleys and established an orchard and vineyard on The Reedbeds. He attended the public school in Fulham, leaving school at a young age to assist his father and later inheriting a one-third share in the property.<ref name=adb/>

Rowell was a councillor of the Royal Agricultural and Horticultural Society of South Australia for nearly 50 years, including a term as president, and also served on the South Australian Board of Agriculture.<ref name=bio>{{cite web|url=https://biography.senate.gov.au/james-rowell/|title=Rowell, James (1851–1940)|work=The Biographical Dictionary of the Australian Senate|first=Derek|last=Drinkwater|volume=1|publisher=Melbourne University Press|year=2000}}</ref> He was said to be "highly skilled in the horticultural field and did much to advance the interests of the primary producer in South Australia".<ref name=adb/>

==Military service== In 1877, Rowell enlisted in South Australia's Volunteer Military Forces as a member of the Reedbeds cavalry. He was subsequently commissioned as an officer in the South Australian Mounted Rifles, with the ranks of lieutenant (1880), captain (1881), major (1885), and lieutenant-colonel (1895). He represented South Australia at the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1897.<ref name=adb/>

Rowell commanded the 4th South Australian Imperial Bushmen's Contingent during the second Boer War, which left Australia in May 1900 and returned in August 1901. He was promoted colonel and mentioned in despatches during the war, subsequently receiving appointment as a Commander of the Order of the Bath (CB) and the Queen's South Africa Medal with four clasps.<ref name=bio/>

After the federation of the Australian colonies, Rowell remained a high-ranking officer in the Citizen Forces, commanding the 10th Australian Infantry Regiment from 1904. During World War I he was recalled to active duty and from 1915 to 1917 made several journeys to Egypt and England on troop ships carrying Australian Imperial Force units.<ref name=bio/>

==Politics== Rowell was a member of the West Torrens District Council for sixteen years, including twelve as chairman, and served as president of the District Councils' Association and vice-president of the Local Government Association. He first stood for parliament at the 1910 South Australian state election, running unsuccessfully for the Liberal Union in the seat of Electoral district of Adelaide.<ref name=bio/>

At the 1917 federal election, Rowell was elected to a six-year Senate term on the Nationalist Party ticket in South Australia. His term was due to commence on 1 July 1917, but he began his term early on 24 May 1917 after being appointed to fill the casual vacancy caused by the resignation of William Story. His term ended on 30 June 1923 following his defeat at the 1922 election.<ref name=aph>{{cite news|url=https://handbook.aph.gov.au/parliamentarians/K3B|title=Rowell, James CB|work=Parliamentary Handbook|publisher=Parliament of Australia|access-date=24 April 2026}}</ref>

In the Senate, Rowell spoke frequently on primary industry and matters relating to returned servicemen. He was a strong supporter of the ''Australian Soldiers' Repatriation Act 1917'', which gave generous assistance to returned soldiers, and unsuccessfully sought to extend the war service homes scheme to veterans of the Boer War.<ref name=bio/> In 1918, Rowell was appointed to the Select Committee on the Effect of Intoxicating Liquor on Australian Soldiers.<ref name=aph/> He supported the majority position which opposed legislation to impose prohibition on the military.<ref name=bio/>

==Personal life== In 1874, Rowell married Elizabeth Marchant, with whom he had two children. He was widowed in 1881 and re-married in 1883 to Zella Williams, with whom he had another five children. His son Sydney became an army general and served as chief of the general staff, while two other sons also saw active service.<ref name=adb/>

Rowell died at his home in Lockleys on 6 July 1940, aged 89.<ref name=bio/>

==References== {{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rowell, James}} Category:1851 births Category:1940 deaths Category:Australian Army officers Category:Australian military personnel of the Second Boer War Category:Australian military personnel of World War I Category:Australian orchardists Category:Companions of the Order of the Bath Category:English emigrants to colonial Australia Category:Members of the Australian Senate for South Australia Category:Members of the Australian Senate Category:Nationalist Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Category:People from Cambridge Category:Liberal Party (1922) members of the Parliament of Australia