William McCourt

For the Clerk of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, see William Rupert McCourt.

William McCourt (1 March 1851 – 22 June 1913) was an Irish-born Australian politician.

He was born in County Monaghan to farmer James McCourt and Bridget Galbraith. He arrived in New South Wales with his parents in 1852 and attended Wollongong Public School. He was apprenticed to a printer after leaving school, and was also a successful land speculator. In 1882 he married Emily Elizabeth, with whom he had six children. He was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly in 1882 as the member for Camden. He lost his seat in 1885 but was re-elected in 1887. A free trader, he transferred to Borwal in 1894 and to Wollondilly in 1904. By this time a member of the Liberal Reform Party, he was elected Speaker in 1900, serving until the election of a Labor government in 1910. McCourt held his seat until his death at Berrima in 1913.

References

New South Wales Legislative Assembly
Preceded by Sir Joseph Abbott	Speaker 1900–1910	Succeeded by John Cann
Preceded by John Kidd	Member for Camden 1882–1885 Served alongside: Thomas Garrett	Succeeded by John Kidd
Preceded by John Kidd	Member for Camden 1887–1894 Served alongside: Garrett/Cullen; none/Kidd	Succeeded by John Kidd
New seat	Member for Bowral 1894–1904	Abolished
New seat	Member for Wollondilly 1904–1913	Succeeded by Frank Badgery