Robert Wisdom

Sir Robert Wisdom, (31 January 1830 – 16 March 1888) was a politician in colonial New South Wales and Attorney General of New South Wales.

Early life and education Wisdom was born in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, and arrived in Australia in 1834 with his parents, moving to Morpeth in the Hunter Valley. He was educated at Maitland and at the Sydney College. before being appointed a sub-commissioner of gold fields, and a magistrate.

Political career

In 1859 he resigned his office as gold commissioner in order to stand as a candidate for the new district of Goldfields West, where he was elected at Sofala on a show of hands, and was easily re-elected at the 1860 election. On 26 October 1861 he was admitted to the Colonial Bar. He was chairman of committees from 1861 until 1864, a position that carried a salary of £500, but declined ministerial appointments in the third ministry of Charles Cowper and a proposed ministry of William Forster. He was defeated in 1872, becoming a Crown Prosecutor in 1873.

Parliament was dissolved in November 1874 and Wisdom agreed to be a candidate for the district of Morpeth, winning the seat in 1874. He was appointed a member of the Council of Education 1878. After declining numerous offers of ministerial positions, he agreed to be Attorney General in the Third ministry of Sir Henry Parkes from August 1879 to January 1883. He personally prosecuted the Watabadgery bushrangers, Captain Moonlite and Thomas Rogan, which drew praise from the Bulletin for his forensic skills. In 1885 he was involved in an altercation with David Buchanan, initially exchanging insults before Wisdom struck Buchanan in the face. He was made a Queen's Counsel in 1886, and decided not to contest the 1887 election.