William Jolly

William Jolly
Member of the Australian Parliament for Lilley
In office 23 October 1937 – 21 August 1943
Preceded by	Donald Cameron
Succeeded by	James Hadley
1st Lord Mayor of Brisbane
In office 1 October 1925 – 24 February 1931
Succeeded by	Archibald Watson
Personal details
Born	11 September 1881 Spring Hill, Brisbane
Died	30 May 1955 (aged 73) Windsor, Brisbane
Nationality	Australian
Political party	United Australia Party
Spouse(s)	Lillie Maude Moorhouse
Children	Seven sons
Occupation	Law clerk, accountant, public servant

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 the Greater Brisbane City Council 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.^[1] He was the director of the National Bank of Australia after it merged with the Queensland National Bank. He was concillor 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.^[1]

The grave of William Jolly at Brisbane's Toowong Cemetery.

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.^[2] 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. 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.^[3]

Personal life

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.^[4] 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).^[5][6]

Lillie Maude Moorhouse Jolly (wife of Lord Mayor William Jolly), 1930

Jolly was described as a family man who was active in church activities.^[1] 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 and had a total of seven sons.^[1]

Named in his honour

• William Jolly Bridge, crossing the Brisbane River between South Brisbane and the Brisbane CBD
• Jollys Lookout, a locality in the Moreton Bay Region, named after his visit in 1927^[7][8][9]
• W.A. Jolly Park, 50 Wesley Street, Lutwyche, Brisbane^[10]

References

1. Laverty, John (1997), "William Alfred Jolly: A slave to duty", in Shaw, Barry, Brisbane:Corridors of Power, Papers, 15, Brisbane: Brisbane History Group Inc, p. 133−134, ISBN 0-9586469-1-0
2. , — Psephos: Adam Carr's Electoral Archive
3. Channel 9 news story which shows Warren Jolly speaking at reopening of Brisbane City Hall on 6 April 2013
4. William Alfred Jolly, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland, 1925, retrieved 18 November 2014
5. "Ithaca War Memorial and Park (entry 600274)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
6. "Ithaca Embankments (entry 601209)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
7. "Jollys Lookout (entry 45501)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
8. "JOLLY'S LOOKOUT.". The Brisbane Courier. National Library of Australia. 17 November 1932. p. 16. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
9. "THE HIGHLANDS.". The Brisbane Courier. National Library of Australia. 13 September 1930. p. 9. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
10. "Lutwyche parks". Brisbane City Council. Retrieved 15 July 2015.

External links

Media related to William Alfred Jolly at Wikimedia Commons

• Jolly, William Alfred (1881–1955) Australian Dictionary of Biography
• Jolly, William Alfred — Brisbane City Council Grave Location Search