Richard Foster (Australian politician)

The Honourable Richard Foster
File:Richard Witty Foster.jpg
Member of the Australian Parliament for Wakefield
In office 28 August 1909 – 17 November 1928
Preceded by	Frederick Holder
Succeeded by	Maurice Collins
Personal details
Born	(1856-08-20)20 August 1856 Goodmanham, Yorkshire, England
Died	St Peters, South Australia
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Liberal (1909–17) Nationalist (1917–22) Liberal (1922–25) Nationalist (1925–28)
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth Lees
Occupation	Grocer

Richard Witty Foster (20 August 1856 – 5 January 1932) was an Australian politician, a member of the Parliament of Australia.

Foster was born in Goodmanham, Pocklington, Yorkshire, England and educated at Prospect House, Tockwith and apprenticed to a draper. He emigrated to South Australia in 1880 and established a business as a grocer and general provider at Quorn. He married Elizabeth Lees in September 1884. He was elected to the Corporate Town of Quorn council in 1887 and was mayor from 1890 to 1893.

Political career

On 19 April 1893, Foster was elected to the South Australian House of Assembly as the member for Newcastle, a seat he held until Newcastle was abolished on 2 May 1902. From 3 May 1902 until 2 November 1906, Foster represented Flinders. He was Commissioner for Public Works from 8 December 1899 to 4 July 1904 and Minister for Industry from 1902 to 1904 in the liberal governments of Frederick Holder and John Jenkins. He resigned from the ministry in 1904, but still supported Jenkins until it fell in 1905 and was then Commissioner for Public Works and Minister for Agriculture in the conservative administration of Richard Butler, but lost his seat in 1906.

Foster won the seat of Wakefield in the Australian House of Representatives at a 1909 by-election for the Commonwealth Liberal Party. In December 1921, he was appointed Minister for Works and Railways in the Hughes ministry, but was dropped from the ministry in February 1923 by Stanley Bruce. He refused to join the South Australian Country Party and was beaten by its candidate, Maurice Collins in the 1928 elections.

Foster died in the Adelaide suburb of St Peters on 5 January 1932, survived by his wife, three daughters and a son.

Notes

Parliament of South Australia
Political offices
Preceded by Andrew Handyside	Commissioner of Public Works 1899 – 1904	Vacant Title next held by Richard Foster
Vacant Title last held by Richard Foster	Commissioner of Public Works 1905	Succeeded by Thomas Price
Parliament of Australia
Preceded by Frederick Holder	Member for Wakefield 1909 – 1928	Succeeded by Maurice Collins
Political offices
Preceded by William Watt	Federal Minister for Works and Railways 1921 – 1923	Succeeded by Percy Stewart