Mayoral Portraits, William Bayles, James Clarke Waite, c1901
Summary
William Bayles was born in Yorkshire, England in 1820 and arrived in Van Diemens Land in 1846. In 1852 he established the Victorian shipping firm of Bayles & Company, becoming so successful that he was able to retire a wealthy man at the age of forty-five. His business acumen was officially recognised with his appointment in 1863 as chairman of the Council’s Finance Committee. He held this position until his death in 1903 despite suffering a stroke in 1901.
Bayles was elected a member of the Victorian Parliament nine times, retiring in 1880. As the elected representative for the Villiers and Heytesbury seat, Bayles supported assisted migration as a means of increasing Victoria’s population. He also stressed the need for reform of the Legislative Council and opposed the payment of members for Parliament.
James Clarke Waite (1832-1920) first exhibited in Australia at the Sydney International Exhibition, 1879-80. He arrived in Melbourne in 1886 and became a leading portrait painter. His commissions include the portrait of architect Joseph Reed, also held in the City of Melbourne collection.
