Charles Dight (New South Wales politician)

{{Short description|Australian politician}}

{{For|his uncle, the miller and member of the Victorian Legislative Council from 1851|Charles Dight (Australian businessman)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}

{{Use Australian English|date=August 2021}}

Charles Hilton Dight (1843 – 22 November 1918) was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.{{cite NSW Parliament |id=800 |former=Yes |title=Charles Hilton Dight (1843-1918) |access-date=21 May 2019}}

He was born at Singleton in 1843 to Samuel Dight, a pastoralist and magistrate,{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article71101231 |title=Obituary Mr Samuel Billingsley Dight |newspaper=Australian Town and Country Journal |date=18 August 1888 |access-date=10 March 2020 |page=16 |via=Trove}}{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article81707829 |title=The Dight Family |newspaper=Singleton Argus |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=20 May 1935 |access-date=10 March 2020 |page=4 |via=Trove }} and Sophia {{nee|Howe}}, the fifth daughter of explorer John Howe.{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12856135 |title=Marriage |newspaper=The Sydney Herald |date=13 August 1838 |access-date=10 March 2020 |page=3 |via=Trove}} He finished his education at Maitland Grammar in 1860. He worked on his fathers properties and married Jane McDougall in 1871. They did not have any children. Dight returned to Singleton in 1890.{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article80717682 |title=Death of Mr C H Dight |newspaper=Singleton Argus |date=21 November 1918 |access-date=10 March 2020 |page=2 |via=Trove}}{{cite news |first=Edwin |last=Howell |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article80062439 |title=Charles Hilton Dight JP, ex-M.L.A. of "Pelerin" |newspaper=Singleton Argus |date=15 June 1912 |access-date=12 October 2022 |page=2 |via=Trove}}

Dight stood as a Protectionist Party candidate for Singleton at the 1898 election, challenging the sitting Free Trade Party member Albert Gould who had represented the area since 1882. Dight won the seat with a 6.1% margin.{{cite NSW election |year=1898 |district=Singleton |accessdate=10 March 2020}} He retained the seat at the 1901 election,{{cite NSW election |year=1901 |district=Singleton |accessdate=10 March 2020}} before being defeated in 1904.{{cite NSW election |year=1904 |district=Singleton |accessdate=10 March 2020}}

Dight died in Burwood, NSW on 22 November 1918 aged 76. An uncle, also called Charles Hilton was a miller and member of the Victorian Legislative Council,{{cite re-member |num2=460 |name=Dight, Charles Hilton |accessdate=2020-11-12}} while Arthur Dight another uncle, had been elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly as the member for Windsor.{{cite NSW Parliament |title=Mr Arthur Dight (1819-1895) |id=488 |former=Yes |accessdate=21 May 2019}}