John Marquis Hopkins (27 August 1870 – 3 July 1912) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia, representing the electoral districts of Boulder and Beverley. He had previously been mayor of Boulder, and in 1910, he was jailed for five years for uttering, but was released in October 1911.
Early life
John Marquis Hopkins was born on 17 August 1870 in Ballarat, Victoria to John and Alexandrina MacKay.[1]
He was left orphaned at the age of thirteen and subsequently educated at a state school.[2]
Hopkins worked for the Victoria Railway Service as a porter for two years before going into business with his brother. By 1896 he was working as an auctioneer and sharebroker in Boulder, Western Australia.[1][2]
Political career
Hopkins was the first Mayor of Boulder, being first elected on 11 October 1897.[3][4][5] He served in the position for three terms.[2]
The following month, Hopkins successfully contested the Boulder seat in the state Legislative Assembly. He was elected as an oppositionalist.[8] At the 1904 election he was re-elected with a majority of 497.[9] His next attempt at election in 1905 resulted in a narrow loss, by 19 votes, to Phillip Collier.[10]
Conviction and imprisonment
Hopkins was accused of having forged a promissory note and subsequently uttering it. Amongst the witnesses for the trial were Samuel Joseph Fortescue Moore, a fellow Member of the Legislative Assembly, and Edward McLarty, a Member of the Legislative Council who accused Hopkins of having also uttered their promissory notes.[11][12]
Following a trial at the Criminal Court in Perth before Justice McMillan and a jury of twelve men, Hopkins was found not guilty of forgery and guilty of uttering on 13 April 1910. He was sentenced to imprisonment for a period of five years.[11][12] An appeal was lodged with the Full Court, but Hopkins' full sentence was confirmed on 18 April 1910.[13] He was imprisoned at Fremantle Gaol.[14]
As a result of his conviction, Hopkins was removed from office as Member of the Legislative Assembly for Beverley.[15]
In October 1911, he was released having served only 18 months of his five year sentence.[1] Hopkins had been granted clemency by the Governor of the state owing to his declining health.[13]
^"BOULDER". Kalgoorlie Miner. Vol. 8, no. 2734. Kalgoorlie. 29 June 1904. p. 6. Retrieved 20 May 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
^"BOULDER". Kalgoorlie Western Argus. Vol. XI, no. 567. Western Australia. 31 October 1905. p. 29. Retrieved 20 May 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
