Chancellors

Sir William Charles Windeyer

Sir William Charles Windeyer was a Fellow of Senate of the University of Sydney, elected by a Convocation of electors to fill a vacancy, from 1866 to 1897. Senate elected him Vice-Chancellor from 1883 to 1886, and then Chancellor from 1895 to 1896.

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(1834 - 1897)
LLD MA Syd
Fellow of Senate 1866-1897
Vice-Chancellor 1883-1886
Chancellor 1895-1896

Sir William Charles Windeyer was born in England and arrived in Sydney in 1835 with his family as an infant. He was educated at Elfred House Private School and the King’s School. In 1852, he gained a scholarship to the University of Sydney and was among the first graduates of the University in 1856.

Windeyer was admitted to the Colonial Bar in 1857. He was also a law reporter on Sir Henry Parkes’s Empire newspaper and was supported in politics by Parkes. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly in 1860, being the University’s first elected representative in that body. As well as maintaining his legal practice, Windeyer served in several government administrations in the 1860s and 1870s. In 1876, Windeyer was elected to the Assembly as the first member for the University of Sydney. In 1878-79, he was Attorney-General in the Parkes-Robertson coalition, where he successfully introduced many significant bills as a private member, including the Patents Act and the Married Women’s Property Act. On his resignation from parliament in 1879, he was appointed to the bench of the Supreme Court.

Windeyer was keenly interested in educational matters. He was a strong advocate for the extension of free and secular education, which resulted in increasing numbers of matriculants for the growing University. In 1855-65, he was Esquire Bedell at the University. A Fellow of the Senate for over 30 years, he was elected Vice-Chancellor in 1883 and Chancellor in 1895. He was strongly committed to higher education for women and in 1891 was founding chairman of the Women’s College within the University.

The biographical notes on the Chancellors contain information derived from a variety of sources including: Australia’s First: A History of the University of Sydney, University News, University of Sydney Archives and Lawlink NSW: Law and History.