John Nobbs

{{Short description|Australian politician}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2015}} {{Use Australian English|date=December 2015}} thumb|John Nobbs (1912) '''John Nobbs''' (8 September 1845 – 11 November 1921) was an Australian politician. Between 1885 and 1888 he served in two periods as mayor of the Borough of Granville to the west of Sydney. He was the first mayor of Granville. From 1888 to 1893 and from 1898 to 1913 he represented the Free Trade Party, respectively the Liberal Reform Party as a member in the parliament of New South Wales. He was also a force of the development of association football in Australia where he was for many years the president of the New South Wales association. In May 1901 he was a co-founder of the Auburn baseball club that in later years became known as ''Orioles''.

== Life == He was born at Surry Hills to John and Jane Nobbs; they were market gardeners.

Nobbs attended Sydney Grammar School and then farmed at Colo. He also worked for some period as conveyancer. Circa 1883 he founded together with the local chemist R. Richardson the ''Cumberland Independent'' newspaper. It was edited by Thomas Courtney, later a parliamentary leader writer for the Sydney Daily Telegraph. However the publication lost money - "some thousands of pounds" - and thus was short-lived.<ref>T. D. Little: ''The Early History of the Press in Parramatta'', The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate (Parramatta, NSW), 31 August 1921, Page 2</ref> On 16 December 1865 he married Louisa Smedley; they had twelve children. In 1888 he was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly as the Free Trade member for Central Cumberland; he resigned in 1893 facing bankruptcy and lost the subsequent by-election. He returned to the Assembly in 1898 as the member for Granville. He held that seat as a Liberal until his defeat in 1913. He was subsequently a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 1917 to 1921.

Nobbs died at Granville in 1921.<ref name=nsw>{{Cite NSW Parliament |name=Mr John Nobbs (1845–1921) |former=Yes |access-date=1 May 2019 |id=862}}</ref> His wife Louisa Ann Nobbs died in December 1927 aged 78, and was buried beside her husband in the Church of England section of Rookwood Cemetery.<ref>''Granville Pioneer - Mrs Nobbs Death'', The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate (Parramatta, NSW), 13 December 1927, Page 3</ref>

== External links == * Terry Kass: ''[https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/nobbs-john-7852 John Nobbs (1845–1921)]'', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, 1988, per 25 April 2026 * ''[https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/members/Pages/member-details.aspx?pk=862 Mr John NOBBS (1845 - 1921)]'', Parliament of New South Wales, per April 25 April 2026 * ''[https://historyandheritage.cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au/blog/2014/06/02/john-nobbs-a-granville-pioneer-and-soccer-enthusiast John Nobbs – A Granville Pioneer and Soccer Enthusiast]'', City of Parramatta - Parramatta History and Heritage, per 25 April 2026 * ''[https://granvillesoccer.com.au/our-history/ Our History]'', Granville and Districts Soccer Football Association, 2019, per 25 April 2026

==References== {{reflist}}   {{s-start}} {{s-civ}} {{s-new}} {{s-ttl |title= Mayor of Granville| years = 1885–1886 }} {{s-aft|after= Harry Richardson}} {{s-bef|before= Harry Richardson}} {{s-ttl |title= Mayor of Granville| years = 1887–1888 }} {{s-aft|after= Charles Unwin}} {{s-par|au-nsw-la}} {{s-bef|before=Andrew McCulloch<br/ >Varney Parkes}} {{s-ttl|title=Member for Central Cumberland | years=1888–1893 | alongside=Buchanan/Ritchie/Garrard; Farnell/Linsley/Dale}} {{s-aft|after=George McCredie}} {{s-bef|before=George Smailes}} {{s-ttl|title=Member for Granville || years=1898–1913}} {{s-aft|after=Jack Lang}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nobbs, John}} Category:1845 births Category:1921 deaths Category:Free Trade Party politicians Category:Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Category:Members of the New South Wales Legislative Council Category:Nationalist Party of Australia members of the Parliament of New South Wales Category:Mayors of places in New South Wales Category:Australian football executives Category:People educated at Sydney Grammar School Category:Colony of New South Wales politicians