member of the South Australian Legislative Council
What position did Edward Lucas (Australian politician) take from May 1900 to 1918?
Edward Lucas ( Australian politician ) Sir Edward Lucas ( 14 February 1857 – 4 July 1950 ) was an Australian politician . He was a member of the South Australian Legislative Council from 1900 to 1918 , associated with the Australasian National League and its successor , the Liberal Union . He resigned in 1918 to become Agent-General for South Australia , a role he held until 1925 . Lucas was born in County Cavan , Ireland , and was educated at Bailieborough . He worked as a drapers apprentice in Dublin , before migrating to South Australia in 1878 . He initially worked for John Martin & Co. , but established his own drapery in North Adelaide in 1882 , and built a partnership with several stores . Lucas moved to Gawler in 1886 , purchasing the business of J . & J . Wilcox , which he operated until 1901 ; he also maintained stores in Adelaide , Hamley Bridge and Balaklava , only selling the latter in 1918 . He was mayor of the Corporate Town of Gawler in 1893 and 1894 , served as president of the Gawler Institute , and was involved with the School of Mines , School Board of Advice , and the committee supporting the Barossa Water Scheme . He married Frances Louisa Johnston in 1885 , but she died following the birth of their first child . He remarried in 1890 , to Mabel Florence Brock . Lucas was elected to the South Australian Legislative Council in 1900 , representing the Midland District . He was involved in the merger that created the states first united conservative party , the Liberal Union in 1910 , and served as its leader in the Legislative Council from 1913 . During World War I , he was a member of the State War Council and was vice-chairman of the State Recruiting Committee . In 1918 , he was appointed Agent-General in London , serving until 1925 . In this role , he was tasked with representing South Australia in England through the aftermath of the war ; while there , he was knighted in 1921 , and was a commissioner of the British Empire Exhibition in 1924 . He was involved in a wide range of community organisations , including the Navy League , which he served as state president of for many years , the District and Bush Nursing Society , the Prisoners Aid Society , and the YMCA . He was a lay preacher in the Methodist Church , and represented it on the Council of Churches . He made a final bid for political office at the 1928 federal election , unsuccessfully contesting a Senate seat for the Nationalist Party . Lucas died in 1950 at his home in Medindie , aged 93 , and was buried in Payneham Cemetery . His death was reported in newspapers nationally . He was survived by two daughters ; his second wife , one son and one daughter predeceased him .