William Plain
Senator for Victoria
In office
1 July 1917 – 30 June 1923
In office
25 August 1925 – 30 June 1938
Preceded byEdward Russell
Personal details
Born(1868-03-11)11 March 1868
Peeblesshire, Scotland
Died14 October 1961(1961-10-14) (aged 93)
Geelong, Victoria, Australia
NationalityAustralian
Political partyLabor (1908–17)
Nationalist (1917–31)
UAP (1931–38)
OccupationFarm worker, goldminer

William Plain (11 March 1868 – 14 October 1961) was a Scottish-born Australian politician.

Born in Scotland, to James and Christina (née Naismith) Plain, where he was educated, he migrated to Australia in 1890, where he became a farm worker and gold miner at Lara, Victoria.[1] In 1908, he was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly as the Labor member for Geelong.[2] He was also President of the Board of Land and Works and Commissioner of Crown Lands and Survey in 1913, as well as Minister for Water Supply and Agriculture. He left the Labor Party in the wake of the 1916 split over conscription, joining the Nationalist Party.[1]

In 1917, he left the Assembly to contest the Australian Senate as a Nationalist candidate for Victoria. He was defeated in 1922, but was re-elected in 1925; he was appointed early to the Senate after the death of Edward Russell. Plain served as Chairman of Committees from 1926 to 1932.[3] In 1931 he joined the new United Australia Party. He was defeated in 1937[4] and died on 14 October 1961 at Geelong. Plain was buried in the Presbyterian section at the Geelong Western Cemetery with his sister Elizabeth, who had died in 1960. Plain's wife Anna, who died in 1969 and their son Norman, who died in 1977 were subsequently buried in the same grave.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Whelen, J (1988). "Plain, William (1868–1961)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  2. ↑ "William Plain". Re-Member: a database of all Victorian MPs since 1851. Parliament of Victoria. Archived from the original on 23 April 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  3. ↑ "Appendix 3―Deputy Presidents and Chairmen of Committees (1901–2009)". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  4. ↑ Jones, Catherine (2004). "PLAIN, William (1868–1961)". The Biographical Dictionary of the Australian Senate. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
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