William Jolly

{{Short description|Australian politician}} {{other people}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2015}} {{Use Australian English|date=September 2015}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = William Jolly | honorific_suffix = | image = StateLibQld 1 105548 William Alfred Jolly.jpg | constituency_MP = Lilley | parliament = Australian | majority = | predecessor = Donald Cameron | successor = Jim Hadley | term_start = 23 October 1937 | term_end = 21 August 1943 | office2 = 1st Lord Mayor of Brisbane | term_start2 = 1 October 1925 | term_end2 = 24 February 1931 | successor2 = Archibald Watson | birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1881|9|11}} | birth_place = Spring Hill, Brisbane | death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1955|5|30|1881|9|11}} | death_place = Windsor, Brisbane | spouse = Lillie Maude Moorhouse | party = United Australia Party (federal)<br />United Party (state) | relations = | children = Seven sons | alma_mater = | occupation = Law clerk, accountant, public servant | profession = | signature = | website = | footnotes = }}

'''William Alfred Jolly''' CMG (11 September 1881, Spring Hill, Brisbane – 30 May 1955, Windsor, Brisbane) was an Australian politician who was the Mayor of the Town of Windsor from 1918 to 1923, the first Lord Mayor of Brisbane from 1925 to 1931, and a member of the Australian Parliament for the Division of Lilley from 1937 to 1943.

==Public life== In 1914, he began to practice as a public accountant. Upon the establishment of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia Jolly was elected a member of the first Board.<ref name="brcopo"/> He was the director of the National Bank of Australia after it merged with the Queensland National Bank. He was councillor of Kings College at the University of Queensland, a member of the Board for the YMCA and a long-term member of the Brisbane Rotary Club.

He was elected an alderman of the Windsor Town Council in 1912, becoming the Mayor between 1918 and 1923.<ref name="brcopo"/>

In 1925, the present City of Brisbane was created through the amalgamation of the city (which previously covered only the innermost suburbs) with all of the local government areas that contained its suburbs (known as the Greater Brisbane scheme). Jolly was elected the first Lord Mayor of Brisbane in 1925 and held that role until 1931.

After seven years of agitation, Brisbane's tram service was extended to Grange in July 1928. The opening ceremony was attended by Jolly, and two Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly, James Stevingstone Kerr and Charles Taylor.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article186487792|title=GRANGE TRAMWAY|date=2 July 1928|newspaper=Daily Standard|accessdate=31 July 2019|issue=4827|location=Queensland, Australia|page=7 (3 p.m. EDITION)|via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> The mayor had previously threatened not to attend any ceremony for the opening of the tram service because two rival groups were organising separate celebrations; he would only attend if there was a single ceremony.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article21301923|title=Grange Tram Opening "Ceremonies."|date=29 June 1928|newspaper=The Brisbane Courier|accessdate=31 July 2019|issue=21,973|location=Queensland, Australia|page=14|via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

In 1928, artist Caroline Barker painted a portrait of Lord Mayor of Brisbane William Jolly in his mayoral robes and exhibited it at the Royal Queensland Art Society. Charles Herbert Gough was so impressed by the work that he initiated a public subscription to purchase the portrait as a gift for the mayor from the citizens of Brisbane.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article181000853|title=NERVE-BREAKING|date=22 December 1928|newspaper=Daily Standard|accessdate=11 March 2018|issue=5076|location=Queensland, Australia|page=6|via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> As Jolly was a popular mayor, the public were generous in their donations and the portrait was presented to the mayor in December 1928 together with a string of pearls for his wife, the Lady Mayoress.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article21359920|title=Testimonial to the Mayor.|date=18 December 1928|newspaper=The Brisbane Courier|accessdate=11 March 2018|issue=22,120|location=Queensland, Australia|page=14|via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

During his time as Lord Mayor, Jolly was responsible for many civic developments, especially the arterial road network in Brisbane. The Grey Street Bridge (renamed the William Jolly Bridge shortly after his death) was built during his time in office.

In 1937 and 1940, he stood and was elected the UAP member for the Federal Division of Lilley. William Jolly retired from politics following his defeat in the 1943 general election.<ref>[http://psephos.adam-carr.net/], — Psephos: Adam Carr's Electoral Archive</ref>

He was a director of the Queensland National Bank and at the time of his death a director of the National Bank of Australasia.<ref name=":0">{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article79250231|title=Death Of Former Lord Mayor|date=2 June 1955|newspaper=The Central Queensland Herald|accessdate=31 July 2019|issue=1920|location=Queensland, Australia|volume=22|page=7|via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

==Personal life== thumb|Lillie Maude Moorhouse Jolly (wife of Lord Mayor William Jolly), 1930 William Jolly was born on 11 September 1881 at Spring Hill, Brisbane, the son of Alexander Jolly, a gardener from Scotland, and his Irish wife Mary Kelly.<ref>{{Citation |title=William Alfred Jolly | date=1925 | publisher=John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland | url=http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/153922693 | accessdate=18 November 2014 }}</ref> His father was the gardener at the Glen Lyon Estate in Ashgrove. Later his father became the landscape gardener of the Ithaca Town Council and created the parkland surrounding the Ithaca War Memorial and the Ithaca Embankments (both of which are now heritage-listed).<ref>{{cite QHR|15049|Ithaca War Memorial and Park|600274|accessdate=18 November 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite QHR|15973|Ithaca Embankments|601209|accessdate=1 August 2014}}</ref>

[[File:William Jolly Grave.JPG|thumb|The grave of William Jolly at Brisbane's Toowong Cemetery.|alt=]]Jolly was described as a family man who was active in church activities.<ref name="brcopo">{{Citation |last=Laverty |first=John |title=Brisbane:Corridors of Power |place=Brisbane |publisher=Brisbane History Group Inc |series=Papers |volume=15 |year=1997 |editor-last=Shaw |editor-first=Barry |chapter=William Alfred Jolly: A slave to duty |page=133−134 |isbn=0-9586469-1-0 }}</ref> He attended Ashgrove State School. He began working as law clerk with at a small law firm and then moved to the larger Atthow & MacGregor while studying accountancy. On 8 January 1907, he married Lillie Maude Moorhouse, the second daughter of Rev. James Moorhouse, at her parents' residence in Paddington.<ref>{{cite news |title=Marriage |url= https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/19476623?searchTerm=Jolly |accessdate=21 January 2020 |work=The Brisbane Courier |date=24 January 1907 |page=4}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Rev. J. Moorhouse Dead: 50 Years in Queensland |url= https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/182666322 |accessdate=21 January 2020 |work=Telegraph |date=16 March 1936 |page=8}}</ref> They had seven sons: Douglas, Frank, Arthur, William, Stanley, Harold and Norman.<ref name="brcopo" /><ref name=":0" />

Jolly died in Windsor on 30 May 1955 aged 73 years.<ref name=":0" /> He was buried on 31 May 1955 in Toowong Cemetery.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/libraries-venues-and-facilities/cemeteries/grave-and-memorial-location-search |title=Brisbane City Council Cemetery Search |publisher=Brisbane City Council |access-date=2026-03-27}}</ref>

==Legacy== The following were named after him: * William Jolly Bridge, crossing the Brisbane River between South Brisbane and the Brisbane CBD * Jollys Lookout, a locality in the City of Moreton Bay, named after his visit in 1927<ref name=qpn>{{cite QPN|45501|Jollys Lookout|accessdate=13 March 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article22005326 |title=JOLLY'S LOOKOUT. |newspaper=The Brisbane Courier |date=17 November 1932 |accessdate=13 March 2014 |page=16 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article21583037 |title=THE HIGHLANDS. |newspaper=The Brisbane Courier |date=13 September 1930 |accessdate=13 March 2014 |page=9 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> * W.A. Jolly Park, 50 Wesley Street, Lutwyche, Brisbane<ref>{{cite web|title=Lutwyche parks|url=http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/facilities-recreation/parks-venues/parks/parks-suburb/lutwyche-parks|publisher=Brisbane City Council|accessdate=15 July 2015}}</ref> On 6 April 2013, William Jolly's grandson Warren Jolly was a guest speaker at the reopening of the newly refurbished Brisbane City Hall, which was first opened by William Jolly on 8 April 1930.<ref>[http://video.au.msn.com/watch/video/brisbane-city-hall-finally-reopens/xsphf6i?cpkey=7851dbe8-964f-4061-8458-e19f2603b3e7%257c%257c%257c%257c Channel 9 news story which shows Warren Jolly speaking at reopening of Brisbane City Hall on 6 April 2013]{{Dead link|date=November 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== {{commons category-inline|William Alfred Jolly}} *[https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/jolly-william-alfred-6866 Jolly, William Alfred (1881–1955)] ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' *[https://online.brisbane.qld.gov.au/cemeteries/cemeteries_step3.jsp?mapdisplay=192475 Jolly, William Alfred] – Brisbane City Council Grave Location Search

{{s-start}} {{s-off}} {{s-new|title}} {{s-ttl | title=Lord Mayor of Brisbane | years=1925–1931}} {{s-aft|after=Archibald Watson}} {{s-par|au}} {{succession box | title=Member for Lilley| before=Donald Charles Cameron|after=Jim Hadley| years=1937–1943}} {{s-end}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Jolly, William}} Category:1881 births Category:1955 deaths Category:20th-century mayors of places in Australia Category:Mayors and lord mayors of Brisbane Category:United Australia Party members of the Parliament of Australia Category:Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Lilley Category:Australian Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Category:Burials at Toowong Cemetery Category:Members of the Australian House of Representatives Category:Australian MPs 1937–1940 Category:Australian MPs 1940–1943