Jonathan Seaver

{{Short description|Politician, engineer and surveyor in New South Wales, Australia}}

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

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

File:Jonathan Seaver MLA.png

Jonathan Charles Billing Pockerage Seaver (born 7 June 1855, date of death unknown) was an Irish-born Australian politician, engineer and surveyor.

He was born at Kingstown near Dublin, the eldest son of Thomas Seaver and arrived in Victoria around 1857. At sixteen he became a tutor and after an abortive attempt at a church career worked as an engineer and surveyor. He traveled widely, spending some time in Adelaide, where he married Mary Robinson {{nee|Abbott}} on 22 November 1880,{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article30809706 |title=Marriage: Seaver-Robinson |newspaper=The South Australian Advertiser |location=South Australia |date=11 December 1880 |accessdate=3 June 2021 |page=2 |via=Trove}} Note his third middle name is spelt Pockrich. before settling in Gloucester. In 1887 he was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly as the Free Trade member for Gloucester and retained the seat in 1889. In May 1891 four free traders, Seaver, George Reid, Jack Want and John Haynes, voted against the fifth Parkes Ministry in a motion of no confidence, which was only defeated by the casting vote of the Speaker.{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article13826087 |title=Legislative Assembly: The want of confidence motion |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=29 May 1891 |access-date=3 June 2021 |page=3 |via=Trove}} Whilst the government survived the motion, parliament was dissolved on 6 June 1891. Such was Seaver's animosity to Sir Henry Parkes, he did not contest Gloucester, but instead contested St Leonards, stating that his sole reason was opposing Parkes.{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article13827696 |title=St Leonards: Mr Seaver's candidature |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=11 June 1891 |access-date=3 June 2021 |page=3 |via=Trove}} His opposition was ineffective however as Parkes topped the poll, while Seaver finished a distant last.{{cite NSW election |year=1891 |district=St Leonards |access-date=12 April 2020}}

Seaver left Sydney with his family on the R.M.S. Australia in August 1896 bound for London.{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article238594527 |title=The mail steamers |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=4 August 1896 |access-date=3 June 2021 |page=4 |via=Trove}} Little is known about his subsequent life.{{cite NSW Parliament |title=Mr Jonathan Charles Billing Pockerage Seaver (1855- ) |id=992 |former=Yes |access-date=15 June 2019}} It is possible that he died in Mexico in 1928 however this is not confirmed by a reliable source.