# Municipality of Paddington

The Municipality of Paddington was a local government area of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The municipality was proclaimed on 17 April 1860 and, with an area of 1.7 square kilometres, included the entire suburb of Paddington and parts of Edgecliff. The council was amalgamated with the City of Sydney to the east with the passing of the Local Government (Areas) Act 1948, although the former council area was transferred in 1968 to the Municipality of Woollahra, transferred to the City of South Sydney in 1989 and was then split in 2003 between the City of Sydney and the Municipality of Woollahra.

## Council history and location

The municipality was proclaimed by the Governor of New South Wales, Sir William Denison, on 17 April 1860, bounded by New South Head Road to the north, Jersey Road and Ocean Street to the east, Rushcutters Creek to the northwest and Moore Park to the south. The first nine-member council was declared elected on 23 May 1860. On 25 November 1864, the municipality was divided into three wards: Upper Paddington Ward, Lower Paddington Ward and Glenmore Ward.
In 1889, at the urging of alderman and mayor, Charles Hellmrich, land was acquired on Oxford Street adjoining Victoria Barracks, for a new Town Hall. In early 1890, a design by architect John Edward Kemp was chosen and on 8 November 1890, the foundation stone was laid by Premier Sir Henry Parkes. On 3 October 1891 the new town hall was formally opened by the Governor, The Earl of Jersey.
Following the enactment of the Municipalities Act, 1867, the title of Chairman was renamed "Mayor" and the council became known as the Borough of Paddington (From 28 December 1906, following the passing of the Local Government Act, 1906, the council was again renamed as the "Municipality of Paddington"). The wards were adjusted following a petition on 5 January 1884, adding a fourth ward and renaming two: Upper Ward, Middle Ward, Lower Ward and Glenmore Ward. In July 1907, a proposal by the mayor, Denis Brown, to abolish the ward system was voted down by the council.
By the end of the Second World War, the NSW Government had realised that its ideas of infrastructure expansion could not be realised by the present system of the mostly-poor inner-city municipal councils and the Minister for Local Government, Joseph Cahill, passed a bill in 1948 that abolished a significant number of those councils. Under the Local Government (Areas) Act 1948, Paddington Municipal Council was merged with the larger neighbouring City of Sydney which was located immediately to the west, becoming the Paddington Ward, returning two aldermen, the penultimate and final mayors, Frank Green and Walter Farley Read.

## Mayors

| Years | Chairman | Notes |
| June 1860 – 12 February 1861 | William Perry | |
| 12 February 1861 – 14 February 1862 | John Carlisle Humphrey | |
| 14 February 1862 – 13 February 1863 | Thomas Alston | |
| 13 February 1863 – February 1864 | John Carlisle Humphrey | |
| February 1864 – 20 February 1865 | Charles Artlett | |
| 20 February 1865 – 20 February 1866 | William Taylor | |
| 20 February 1866 – 19 February 1867 | Robert Iredale | |
| 19 February 1867 – 17 February 1868 | Charles Artlett | |
| Years | Mayor | Notes |
| 17 February 1868 – February 1870 | William Taylor | |
| February 1870 – 25 February 1871 | John Carlisle Humphrey | |
| 25 February 1871 – February 1872 | Robert Campbell | |
| February 1872 – 10 February 1873 | Fergus Maclean | |
| 10 February 1873 – March 1874 | Hosea Bennett | |
| March 1874 – 11 February 1876 | John Reddy | |
| 11 February 1876 – 12 February 1878 | James Oatley | |
| 12 February 1878 – 14 February 1879 | Charles Campbell | |
| 14 February 1879 – 12 February 1881 | William Taylor | |
| 12 February 1881 – 17 February 1883 | William Brown | |
| 17 February 1883 – 16 February 1884 | Emanuel Watson | |
| 16 February 1884 – 14 February 1885 | Charles Campbell | |
| 14 February 1885 – 12 February 1886 | John Percy McGuanne | |
| 12 February 1886 – 11 February 1887 | Charles Hellmrich | |
| 11 February 1887 – 17 February 1888 | Charles Campbell | |
| 17 February 1888 – 12 February 1891 | Charles Hellmrich | |
| 12 February 1891 – February 1892 | Dugald McIntyre | |
| February 1892 – 16 February 1893 | John White | |
| 16 February 1893 – 16 February 1894 | James Dillon | |
| 16 February 1894 – 19 February 1895 | Tom George | |
| 19 February 1895 – 11 February 1896 | George Parker Jones | |
| 11 February 1896 – 12 February 1897 | Arthur Walker | |
| 12 February 1897 – 24 February 1900 | Thomas John West | |
| 24 February 1900 – 15 February 1901 | Albert Pointing | |
| 15 February 1901 – 14 February 1902 | Robert William Usher | |
| 14 February 1902 – 14 February 1903 | George Walker | |
| 14 February 1903 – 17 February 1905 | William Harris Howard | |
| 17 February 1905 – February 1908 | Denis Brown | |
| February 1908 – 2 February 1909 | George Walker | |
| 2 February 1909 – 6 February 1911 | Francis Meacle | |
| 6 February 1911 – 10 February 1913 | Albert Pointing | |
| 10 February 1913 – 4 February 1915 | Michael Kerrigan | |
| 4 February 1915 – February 1916 | Francis Meacle | |
| February 1916 – 12 September 1916 | James William Gosbell | |
| 12 September 1916 – February 1917 | John Thomas Percival Marsh | |
| February 1917 – 12 February 1918 | Michael Purcell | |
| 12 February 1918 – February 1919 | Jack Power (ALP) | |
| February 1919 – February 1920 | Michael Purcell | |
| February 1920 – December 1921 | Frank Green (ALP) | |
| December 1921 – December 1923 | Michael Purcell | |
| December 1923 – December 1924 | Albert Gahan | |
| December 1924 – December 1926 | Harold Falvey (ALP) | |
| December 1926 – December 1927 | Maurice O'Sullivan (ALP) | |
| December 1927 – December 1928 | Henry Dickinson | |
| December 1928 – December 1929 | William Bates | |
| December 1929 – December 1930 | Nicholas Connolly | |
| December 1930 – December 1931 | Michael Purcell | |
| December 1931 – December 1932 | Henry Jones | |
| December 1932 – October 1933 | Robert Stapleton | |
| October 1933 – December 1934 | Morris Curotta | |
| December 1934 – December 1935 | William Bates | |
| December 1935 – December 1936 | Thomas Joseph Whelan | |
| December 1936 – December 1937 | Richard Herbert Graydon | |
| December 1937 – December 1938 | John Thomas Whelan | |
| December 1938 – December 1940 | William Fandlan (ALP) | |
| December 1940 – December 1941 | Roger Bede Hill | |
| December 1941 – December 1942 | Walter Farley Read (ALP) | |
| December 1942 – December 1943 | Joseph Carr | |
| December 1943 – December 1944 | Edward Cutler | |
| December 1944 – December 1946 | Frank Green (ALP) | |
| December 1946 – 31 December 1948 | Walter Farley Read (ALP) | |