President Sir William Macarthur Biography

Sir William Macarthur (1800 – 1882)

President Agricultural Society of New South Wales 1868 - 1871

William Macarthur was the good natured – and nature loving – fifth son of John Macarthur. His great passion was for botany and horticulture.

He was something of a gentleman scholar and bred the first Australian cultivar of the camellia. An active promoter of winegrowing, he became the country’s foremost vigneron.

Though William ran the family properties under the managing eye of his brother James, he was an expert agriculturalist and initiated improvements of his own.

Macarthur was a reluctant player in colonial politics but proved an excellent helmsman when, during his presidency, the Society restructured and shifted headquarters from Parramatta to Sydney. Under new rules office bearers could be re-elected annually and Macarthur presided over the first Shows in Sydney, known as Metropolitan Intercolonial Exhibitions. They were held at Prince Alfred Park. A new exhibition building was completed for the 1870 show which, as the focus of Australian centenary celebrations, was especially large.  Masterfully planned, it was a resounding success and ran for a month. Macarthur had been hands-on, chairing the organising committee which oversaw a huge team of volunteers.  That show forged a strong and continuing relationship with the NSW government and cemented the Show as an important annual event in the popular psyche.

In May 1871 William Macarthur resigned citing business pressures but he had played a major role in the reestablishment of the Society and remained as a vice-president.

A full list of Presidents can be found here.