William Hedges

William Noah Hedges (16 July 1856 – 21 November 1935) was an Australian businessman and politician. He was a member of the House of Representatives from 1906 to 1913, representing the Western Australian seat of Fremantle.

Early life Hedges was born on 16 July 1856 in Boxmoor, Hertfordshire, England. He was the son of Noah Hedges, who died in 1863.

Business activities Hedges was educated in England and moved to Australia in around 1878. He lived in Queensland for a period and later moved to South Australia, where he worked at stone quarries and as a builder in Mount Barker. He secured a number of public works contracts, building wharves, railways and port facilities, and also had a farming property near Lake Alexandrina.

Politics Hedges served on the Mount Barker District Council while living in South Australia. He first stood for parliament at the 1904 Western Australian state election, unsuccessfully contesting the Legislative Assembly seat of Yilgarn. He was elected with the endorsement of John Forrest's Western Australian Party organisation, although during the campaign he declared himself "pledged to neither leader, party, faction, side nor caucus". Upon taking his seat in parliament he joined the opposition crossbench, to the annoyance of Forrest who continued as a minister in Alfred Deakin's Protectionist Party government.

Hedges enthusiastically joined the new Liberal Party following the "Fusion" of Protectionists and Anti-Socialists in May 1909. In a speech to parliament in July 1909, he stated that the Fusion was "the best thing that has happened since Australia federated". Hedges was re-elected as a Liberal at the 1910 election, but lost his seat to the ALP candidate Reginald Burchell in a landslide at the 1913 election.

He built Highland Valley Homestead in Burekup as a private residence.