William Rounsevell

William Benjamin Rounsevell (23 September 1843 – 18 July 1923), known as "Ben" or "Big Ben", was a South Australian politician. He was a member of the South Australian House of Assembly from 1875 to 1893 and from 1899 to 1906, representing the Burra and Burra Burra seats for all but one term, when he held Port Adelaide. He was Treasurer of South Australia four times: from May to June 1881 under William Morgan, from 1884 to 1885 under John Colton, from January to June 1892 under Thomas Playford II and from 1892 to 1893 under John Downer. He also served as Commissioner of Public Works from 1890 to 1892 under Playford, and again in the seven-day Solomon Ministry of 1899. His brother, John Rounsevell, was also a South Australian politician.

Early life Rounsevell was born in Pirie Street, Adelaide, son of William Rounsevell and his second wife Mary, née Palmer. For a time he owned Moolooloo and Coxare (?) stations, stocked with cattle that he bred at Corryton. He bred his own bulls from pedigree Shorthorns and his own rams from stock be bought from the Murrays. In later years he concentrated on Jersey cattle he bought from Victoria then from A. J. Murray at Mount Crawford. He imported Lincoln sheep, Australia's first Indian Runner ducks, pheasants, partridges and hares. From 29 April 1899 he again represented Burra, holding the seat until 2 May 1902 when it was abolished; from 3 May 1903 until 2 November 1906 he held the new seat of Burra Burra.

He was also a Vice President of the South Park Football Club an inaugural team in the SAFA from 1877 to 1884.

He was a keen horseman with stables at Lockleys and horses he raced in conjunction with William Reid, William Pile and William Gerrard, as well as many he owned on his own account. He was one of Adelaide's first greyhound breeders and racers, having extensive kennels at Corryton Park, where the South Australian Coursing Club held its bi-annual race meetings. He was in 1875 one of the founding members of the modern incarnation of South Australian Jockey Club, and was for many years a committee member. He seldom travelled by automobile, much preferring to ride in his victoria. He was an enthusiastic gardener and invariably wore in his buttonhole one of his own carnations.

In 1875 he took over "Tremere" (now demolished), the residence his father had owned at Glenelg, and was involved in local affairs, serving as mayor from 1880 to 1882 and 1912 to 1913.

He married Louisa Ann Carvosso (c. 1826 – c. 21 August 1912) on 14 March 1864. They had no children. Louisa Ann Carvosso's sister Jane Anna Earle was the mother of feminist Bessie Rischbieth OBE.