Honourable Sir James George Lee Steere (1830-1903)

The following was a paper written by Miss C Murray and read to the Historical Society on June 29 1945 and is part of the collection of works of ‘Early Days’ - Journal and Proceedings (reference). The article was then uploaded to the Parliament of Western Australia’s website and the original publication can be found here: link. He was the first speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1890 to 1903 and was living in the Bunbury region from 1863 to 1865 as a Justice of the Peace (reference).

“This paper is a short account of the life and work of the late The Hon. Sir James George Lee Steere, Knight Commander of St. Michael and St. George, of Perth and Jayes, Blackwood, Western Australia, which district he represented in Parliament for 40 years, 1863-1903, the year of his death. Sir James Lee Steere was also for 22 years a member of the Legislative Council. For five years he presided over its deliberations, and later became first Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the State until his death. He was a member at the same time of the Federal Council of Australasia. By his death the State lost a good citizen and Parliament an able, just and fair-minded President over her Councils; for, when the doubts and difficulties of the pioneer had given way to the prospect of assured success, and the young Colony had assumed the responsibilities of self-government, he continued, both in and out of Parliament, to assist in guiding the destinies of State, and also, both in the mercantile and pastoral pursuits, throughout his long career, kept in touch with the conditions and advancement of the country. In the history of Western Australia, the name of Sir James Lee Steere will occupy a prominent and honoured place and will live long in the memory of the people he served so faithfully. 

The Steere motto is: "Tu ne cede malis" (Yield not to misfortune).

James George Lee Steere belonged to a very ancient family. There were Steere's at Ockley, and possibly at Jayes before the Norman Conquest. The family is a Saxon one, and from old records Jayes has been in the Steere possession from Saxon days onwards, and they are the oldest family in Surrey, living on the land on which they originally settled. The name Lee came into the family through the marriage of John Steere with Fiducia Lee, daughter of John Lee, of Plaistow Place, Kirdford, Sussex, and by this marriage in 1675, this beautiful old property was added to the Jayes Estate. Plaistow Place is full of old oak panelling, and the dairy walls at Jayes were decorated with china covered all over in plaster of Paris. This china is old, and mostly very good. There is a Chippendale seat in the drawing room at Jayes with the arms and crests of the Lee Steere's, probably dating from Anne's reign, 1702-14. 

The Pioneers

On 26th January, 1938, when Australia was 150 years old, R. G. Lloyd Thomas speaking, said: "Australians have a great heritage of great men and great achievements. Far richer than any tradition is their conquest of a continent against overwhelming hardship. Now, among the men who have fought to make Australia the nation she is today, we think of Sir James George Lee Steere, so very closely connected with the first settlers in W.A.; those sturdy pioneers who conquered the bush, and made possible the great cities, which give life to the Nation." 

James George Lee Steere was born on 4th July, 1830, at Hale, Oakwood, Surrey. The third son of a family of six sons, his father was Lee Steere, of the Dower House, Hale, landed proprietor, J.P., and in 1848, 'Deputy Lieutenant, and High Sheriff in his county from 1870 to 1880. He also represented West Surrey in the House of Commons. His third son, James George Lee Steere, began his education at a private school in Surrey, and after at the Clapham Grammar School. His father intended him to have a University career, but as a lad he had a great desire to go to sea. He left school at 13 years of age to enter the merchant service in the vessel named "Sea Park." He remained at sea for 15 years, and in that period travelled to many parts of the globe, the last 4 years as Commander of the "Devonshire," a well-known East Indiaman, owned by the firm of Money, Wigram & Co. 

When he returned to England in 1853, as Chief Officer of the "Bombay," from Port Phillip, a memorable incident occurred, owing to a murderous attack on the Captain by a member of the crew. The following letter refers to it: 

“Southampton, June 11th, 1853. 

To James Steere, Esq., 

Dear Sir. 

Having terminated our voyage to England in safety we desire before finally separating to record our kindly feelings towards you. On the passage from Port Phillip to Rio de Janeiro we have had ample means of observing your conduct as Chief Officer of the "Bombay," particularly when the whole charge of the ship devolved on you from the unfortunate attack made upon the Captain and during the subsequent period of disaster and difficulty, when it became necessary for all of us to render assistance in bringing the ship into port; and we have great pleasure in testifying that under all these trying circumstances your attention to your duties and your personal exertions for our safety were alike exemplary and unremitting. 

Expressing our sincere respect for you as an Officer and a gentleman, and with best wishes for your future welfare and happiness.

We are, dear Sir, 

Yours very sincerely”

When Captain Lee Steere returned to England about 1858, he met Miss Catherine Anne Leake, only daughter of the late Mr. Luke Leake, who had travelled out in the ship "Cygnet" to the newly-acquired Swan River Settlement, 1829-30. His wife had followed him there in 1833 with their three young sons, Luke, George and John. Their only daughter, Catherine Anne, was born in Fremantle, on 6th July, 1834, and on her first visit to England met Capt. James George Lee Steere. They were married on the 16th June, 1859, at St. John's Church. Hampstead, London. Captain James Stirling, the founder of the Swan River Settlement in 1829, was present at the ceremony and gave the bride away. The bridesmaids were the Misses Edith and Adela Fletcher, daughters of Sir Henry Fletcher. old friends of the Lee Steere family. 

Arrival at Swan River Settlement

After his marriage, Captain Lee Steere retired from the sea, and they decided to make their home in Western Australia, as the Swan River Settlement was then called. They travelled out by the barque "Orycx," 261 tons, Gell master, from London, and arrived at Fremantle on 21st April, 1860. Passengers were: Mrs. Leake, Capt. and Mrs. Steere and six in steerage. Mrs. Leake brought out a piano, and with the Lee Steere's were a married couple who remained with them till the close of life. 

Shortly before the port of Fremantle was reached, the eldest child was born, which nearly cost the mother her life, but a rocket was sent from the ship to secure medical assistance on arrival, and a good recovery followed. 

The family remained only a short time in Fremantle then went to stay with Mrs. Leake in Perth in what was the first stone house in St. George's Terrace. It had been built in the new settlement by Mr. Luke Leake, the falher of Mrs. Steere. 

The Captain did a great service to the Harbour Trust and shipping generally, owing to his long experience in sea-going vessels, and he always took a great interest in the Fremantle harbour, and later was much helped by his long connection with Dalgety & Co.

When in Perth, Captain Lee Steere, on the 24th May, 1860, a month after he landed in the Colony, at the Freemasons' Hotel, made a proposal to form a branch of the Western Australian Association, which earlier that year had been formed in London with Vice Admiral Sir James Stirling in the chair. A committee was elected in Perth, and the Association came into being. 

Jayes

Mr. Lee Steere, in partnership with Mr. J. H. Monger. acquired pastoral leases of approximately 100,000 acres in the Blackwood district. Later Mr. Monger sold out and removed to York. Mrs. Lee Steere moved from Perth to Bunbury until the home was built on the Blackwood estate. It was named "Jayes" after the ancestral home in Surrey. England.

While they were there, a prominent part was taken in all the local life, and an Agricultural Society was formed at Bridgetown. Mr. Lee Steere was a member of the Weld Club in Perth, and later President Governor Weld, later whom the Club was named, was a welcome visitor at "Jayes." It is worthy of note that a Church service was held each Sunday, and when the shearers were there they joined with the family. When in Perth, the Cathedral services were regularly attended; such was the spirit of all our early pioneers.

Jayes was about 80 miles south-east from Bunbury, and that meant 80 miles from a Doctor and Post Office. Their mails came about four times a year, and the excitement felt when one saw the old bullock team corning in with them, was as great as when the ocean greyhounds arrived at Perth in later years. To attend the annual Parliaments it was Mr. Lee Steere's custom to travel to Perth on horseback, and with a pack-horse to carry all needs for the journey, over 200 miles through bush country and taking from six to eight days. Parliament House, where the Legislative Council held its sittings, was in a building where the Agricultural Department is today.

A Legislative Council Member

In 1867, when the Imperial Government granted permission to the Colony to nominate six men for the Legislative Council. Mr. Lee Steere was asked to stand for the southern constituency in which his estate. "Jayes" was situated. He was duly elected by a large majority, being active in all debates.

In 1870 the constitution of the Legislative Council was recast, providing for the election of two-thirds members and one-third nominated by the Crown. The Council was dissolved, and Mr. Lee Steere stood for, and was elected for the Wellington district, which embraced a portion of the old southern district. At the first meeting of the Legislative Council he was unanimously elected Leader of the elected members, which position he held until elected Speaker in 1886.

In 1878 Mr. and Mrs. Lee Steere decided to take their ten children on a visit to England. They travelled in the ship "Charlotte Padbury." The voyage was round the Cape, and took four months. They returned to Western Australia in 1879 after a short slay in the home-land, and with eleven children by then. A great General visiting the West (Lord Birdwood) hearing of their travels, remarked that a V.C. should be given to the mother.

 Mr. Lee Steere was made a J.P. the year after his return. He was also Governor of the High School and Chairman of the Committee of Management of the Public Library and Museum, in both of which he took a great interest. In 1880, when a fresh election took place in his constituency, after a close contest, his opponent, Mr. H. W. Venn was elected by a majority of one. The Governor of the Executive Council did not wish him to retire into private life, so immediately awarded a nominee seat in the Legislative Council. In 1884 he was appointed a member of the Executive Council.

In 1886 Sir Luke Samuel Leake, his brother-in-law, the Speaker of the Legislative Council, died while on a visit to England, and at the first election of the Legislative Assembly of the full Responsible Government of the Colony in 1890. Mr. James George Lee Steere was elected to the position of Speaker, which position he held until the close of his life (1903). An office he filled with great dignity, firmness and capacity. The forms of parliamentary procedure, the principles governing them, and the history of their growth were his constant study, so that when any difficult question arose, he was always ready with a decision and precedents to support it. In all his dealings. private and public, he was straightforward and upright to a degree, which secured the confidence of everyone with whom he came in contact. 

In 1888 the family left "Jayes" and came to live in Perth, mainly for the education of their large family. The early stone house which had been built by the late Mr. Luke Leake, father of Mrs. Lee Steere, was greatly added to. They remained there until 1892 when the family removed to No. 18 St. George's Terrace, afterwards called "Elderslie." It had twenty-two rooms, and had been occupied by the late Speaker, Sir Luke Samuel Leake. It possessed a large dining room, where the Speaker annually entertained the members of the House at dinner. In 1888 James George Lee Steere received the honour of Knight Bachelor, conferred by Queen Victoria, and later the K.C.M.G. 

The Federation Movement

The first outstanding move towards Federation was the passing by the Imperial Government of the Federal Council of Australia Act (l885). Representatives of various colonies held the initial meeting of that Federal Council at Hobart, on the 25th January, 1886. Sir James Lee Steere represented Western Australia at the Federal Conference of 1890, and was one of the Colony's representatives at the 1891, 1897, and 1898 Federal Conventions. 

In 1900, while the Imperial Parliament had the proposed Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Bill under consideration, Western Australia decided to hold a Referendum, which resulted in their indicating their willingness to join in the Federation and thus become the sixth member of the Commonwealth of Australia.

Sir James was a strong pre-Federation personality, and the late Alfred Deakin said of the principal delegates: "Sir John Forrest, and Dr. J. W. Hackett were well-informed and capable members of the Convention, and with them was Sir James Lee Steere, a man of similar type and standing, with the slowness of the Englishman uniting a very practical sense of all the issues involved and a kindness of disposition which made him a general favourite. 

Tributes of His Death

On the 2nd December, 1903, Sir James Lee Steere died, and on that day the normal opening of the High Court of the Commonwealth was to take place in Perth for the first time. The Chief Justice (Sir S. W. Griffith) , speaking at the function, expressed his deep regret at the loss of a very old friend; the late Sir James Lee Steere. The services rendered by Sir James to Western Australia were very well known to him, and they were always in terms of sincere friendship. Sir James had lived the allotted span of human life, and died leaving behind him the respect and esteem of his fellow citizens whom he had served for so many years. Mr. Justice Barton followed, and he sincerely re-echoed the expressions of regret voiced by the Chief Justice with regard to the loss Western Australia had suffered in the death of Sir James Lee Steere. He was a colleague of Sir James' in the Federal Convention of 1891. as the Chief Justice also was, and in the Conventions which were held in 1897, 1898, they were again honoured with his collaboration, and assisted by his sound common sense and experience. They realised the great loss the death of the Speaker was to the State, and it was a consolation to them that they were able to take the opportunity of expressing their sympathy with the Parliament of Western Australia. 

Mr. Justice O'Connor said that he would like to support with all respect and sympathy the expressions which had fallen from the Chief Justice regarding the late Speaker, Sir James Lee Steere, another tribute to the important part taken in the political history of the State by the late Speaker, Sir James Lee Steere: "He leaves a gap which is not likely to be filled completely by anyone individual. His loss is as great to the State as to his family. He was one of those sincere, earnest and upright-minded men, who form the true type of those capable but unpretending citizens, who simply and honestly spend their lives in making the Empire of England respected, strong and lasting." 

Sir James Lee Steere had resided in Western Australia for 43 years, and was always in the van of public affairs. By order of the Governor in Council, his remains were accorded a State Funeral, the notice appearing in an extraordinary issue of the Government Gazette of 2nd December, 1903, as follows: 

GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, EXTRAORDINARY. WESTERN AUSTRALIA (Published by authority.) 

Perth, Wednesday, December 2nd, 1903.

The State Funeral of the Late Honourable Sir James George Lee Steere, K.C,M.G., M.L.A., Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia, on Wednesday, 2nd December, 1903. 

Colonial Secretary's Office, Perth, 2nd December, 1903. 

His Excellency the Governor in Executive Council has been pleased to direct that the honour of a Slate Funeral shall be accorded to the remains of the Late Honourable Sir James George Lee Steere, K.C.M.G., M.L-A., Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia, who died at 3 a.m. on Tuesday, 1st instant. 

The Funeral Service will be held at St. George's Cathedral, at 2.45 p.m. after which the coffin will be conveyed to the hearse in Pier Street. The coffin will be conveyed by Foot Police. The procession will be formed in St. George's Terrace during the service in the Cathedral, by the Military and Police and those who do not attend the service and will be joined at the conclusion of service by the coffin and those following in their order of procession. 

The procession will be under the control of the Acting Commandant and the Commissioner of Police. The following will be the -order of the procession: 

Mounted Police Band Artillery Infantry Band Choristers Clergy The Deputy Speaker and members of the Legislative Assembly and officers.

Pallbearers (left) The Premier; President of Legislative Council; Hon. W. T, Loton, M.L.C,; Hon. Sept. Burl, K.C,; (right): The Leader of the Opposition; The Leader of the Labour Party; Mr. J. H. Roe; Mr. John Allnutt. The chief mourners: His Excellency the Governor and Staff; Their Honours the Chief Justices of the High Court of Australia and The Supreme Court of Western Australia; The Members of the Executive Council; The justices of the High Court of Australia; The State Judges; The Members of the Commonwealth Parliament; The Members of the Legislative Council; The Consuls; The Mayor of Perth and other Mayors; Heads of Government Departments; Government Officials; General Public; Police. 

The Procession in the foregoing order will move from the Cathedral by way of Pier SI., Hay St., Milligan St., Wellington St. and Marquis St. 10 West Perth Station.

The coffin will be placed upon a funeral car at the West Perth Station and conveyed to the Karrakatta Cemetery, when the proceedings will be private. 

St. George's Terrace between Barrack and Pier Sts., also Hay St. between Pier and Milligan Sts., and Barrack St. between Murray St. and St. George's Terrace will be closed for traffic from 2,45 p.m. until the funeral procession has passed. 

The Public Offices in Perth and Fremantle will be closed this afternoon. 

(Signed) D. NORTH, Under-Secretary.

At the adjournment of Parliament the Premier moved that the career of Sir James was long and honourable, a service of devotion to his country and work for the common good. Mr. Pigott, Leader of the Opposition seconded. Mr. Hastie and Mr. F. H, Piesse also paid a tribute to the late Speaker's nobility of character and high integrity. "Throughout his long career he had kept in touch with all the conditions and advancements of the country, and it is filling that his last public utterance was in leave-taking of his constituents he had served so well, on his impending retirement. 

Lady Lee Steere passed away on the 6th November, 1921, aged 87 years, having survived her husband by 18 years.

Their family consisted of 11 children, 7 daughters and 4 sons. 

Genealogical Table

Lee Steere, of Jayes, Surrey, England, married Anne Watson, issue, 6 sons; third son, James George Lee Steere, married Catherine Anne Leake, issue, 11 children; (I) Edward John; (2) Edith Ann; (3) Louisa Kate; (4) Marion Rose; (5) Charles James; (6) Alice Maud; (7) Mabel Constance; (8) Hubert Arthur; (9) Bertha Mary; (10) Amy Florence; (11) Wilfred. 

Result of search in Lease Book in Lands and Surveys Office 18/4/45

Lease 469- 10,000 acres to J. H. Monger, 11th March, 1854; transferred to Monger & Steere, 22nd Feb 1861; transferred to J. G. Lee Steere, 13th Nov, 1868; lapsed 31st Dec., 1869. 

Lease 911-20,000 acres to J. H. Monger, 15th June, 1857; transferred to Monger & Steere, 22nd Feb 1861; transferred to J. G. Lee Steere, 13th Nov., 1868; expired 31st October, 1872. 

Lease 1518-10,000 acres to J. H. Monger, 20th June, 1860; transferred to Monger & Steere, 22nd Feb 1861; ended 31st Dec., 1866. Lease 1519-5,000 acres; Lease 1520-10,000 acres; Lease 1521-2,000 acres; Lease 1522- 10,000 acres; Lease 1523-2,900 acres; Lease 1524-2,280 acres, all to J. H.. Monger, 20th June 1860; transferred to Monger and Steere, 22nd Feb, 1861 and lapsed 31st Dec., 1868.