William Henry Bean (c. 1843 – date of death unknown) was a prominent South Australian businessman and parliamentarian. He was elected to the Sixth Parliament (paired with Henry Strangways) for the District of West Torrens of the South Australian House of Assembly, on 28 March 1870, until 23 November 1871, losing his seat after the dissolution of 1871.[1] but was re-elected, with William James Magarey, to the Ninth Parliament (1878–1881) from 2 April 1878 to 19 March 1881, and re-elected, with Frederick Estcourt Bucknall, to the Tenth Parliament from 8 April 1881 to 19 March 1884.[2] His brother George had held the seat previously and lost it under controversial circumstances.[a] This is one of very few cases in Australia of a pair of brothers being parliamentarians).[3] He campaigned again in 1878 for the West Torrens seat[4] which he narrowly won, and retained it in 1881.[5] He did not contest the 1884 elections.

He conducted the Adelaide affairs of Bean Brothers while George was overseas from 1869 to 1878. He also organised a large number of wool, hide, meat and bark shipments in partnership with H. J. Wilke.

He was appointed Justice of the Peace in 1872[6] but resigned in 1874.[7]

W. H. Bean (with Wilke) bought into a gold discovery "Golding's Find" at Mount Torrens in 1870.[8] and was a director in James Scott's "El Dorado" Mount Pleasant mine in 1872.[9]

He was on the board of the South Australian Zoological and Acclimatization Society.[10] He resigned or was dropped in 1884.

In 1884 Bean Brothers Limited successfully sued him in the Supreme Court for making unauthorised payments.[11] He was declared insolvent in 1885.[12]

He was in London at the time of his brother George's death in 1912.

References

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  1. ^ George had been refused leave and his seat was vacated due to his absence.
  1. ^ Results of the Dissolution South Australian Register 15 December 1871 p.4 accessed 4 April 2011
  2. ^ House of Assembly 1870–1871, 1878–1881 & 1881–1884 Archived 12 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Statistical Record of the Legislature 1836–2007, Parliament of SA, pp.54, 57, 58 & 100.
  3. ^ Brothers in Parliament The Advertiser 20 April 1929 p.15 accessed 14 March 2011
  4. ^ District of West Torrens South Australian Register 21 March 1878 p.6 accessed 5 April 2011
    Interesting details in his platform
  5. ^ "William Henry Bean". Former members of the Parliament of South Australia. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  6. ^ New Justices South Australian Register 12 April 1872 p.3 accessed 4 April 2011
  7. ^ Resignation South Australian Register Friday 25 September 1874 p.3 accessed 5 April 2011
  8. ^ Government Schools in 1869 South Australian Register 19 April 1870 p.5 accessed 8 April 2011
  9. ^ Mining Intelligence South Australian Register Monday 7 October 1872 Supplement p.5 accessed 8 April 2011
  10. ^ S.A. Zoological and Acclimatization Society South Australian Register Saturday 11 November 1882 accessed 8 April 2011
  11. ^ Summary In Cuzco South Australian Register Monday 22 September 1884 accessed 8 April 2011
  12. ^ Insolvencies South Australian Register 8 July 1885 p.4 accessed 8 April 2011