Australian Dictionary of Biography

Richard Septimus Haynes (1857-1922), lawyer and politician, was born at Picton, New South Wales, youngest son of John Joseph Haynes, civil servant, and his wife Margaret, née Daly. At Morpeth Haynes senior taught Richard before sending him to Sydney Grammar School. In 1873 Haynes was articled, first in Sydney and then at Armidale, and in 1880 was admitted to the New South Wales Bar. On 27 December next year in Sydney he married Marion Adelaide Goodwin; they had six daughters and five sons.

In 1885 Haynes moved to Perth to represent the interest of Anthony Hordern in the Great Southern Land Co. Next year he formed with John Horgan the Eight Hours Association, was elected to the Perth City Council and became chairman of the Local Board of Health. After three years he resigned from the council and board because the city's police magistrate, G. W. Leake, was not enforcing the health regulations. Haynes rejoined the council in 1891-94. He formed and chaired the Municipal Association in 1894 and in 1901 was mayor of North Perth.

'Dickie' Haynes's radicalism had been obvious in the late 1880s when he supported Chief Justice Onslow in his dispute with Governor Broome and convened public meetings to protest over Broome's failure to relieve unemployment. He backed Horgan in his successful battle with Septimus Burt for the seat of Perth in 1888 and, as organizer and chairman of the Central Reform League, he led the democratic movement. At the first election under responsible government, in December 1890, Haynes stood for, but lost, the Legislative Assembly seat of West Perth on a radical platform. He won Central Province in the Legislative Council in 1896; his seat embraced the Murchison goldfields and he kept it until 1902. An uncompromising critic of (Sir) John Forrest's government, he was a powerful advocate for reforms such as manhood suffrage, payment of members, and the abolition of property qualifications and plural voting. He remained an independent, a natural oppositionist and individualist. In 1905 his wife died and on 6 October 1908 he married Anastasia D'Arcy in Sydney.

Haynes's large legal firm was at 66 St George's Terrace. In the late 1880s he had ably defended the bushranger Edward Hughes, Another important case in that period was that of Rev. J. B. Gribble versus the West Australian, in which Haynes defended the West from a libel charge. He fought an extradition order against the murderer, F. B. Deeming, in 1892. In 1902 he was appointed K.C. Legally, he was regarded as a 'last ditcher', possessing a caustic, witty tongue.

Haynes was vice-president of several football and cricket clubs and in the 1880s appeared frequently in amateur theatricals. He was small and solid, clean-shaven, with a perky demeanour and pugnacious jaw: bewigged he looked formidable.

In 1921 he contracted diabetes and part of his right leg was amputated. While recuperating he fell, weakened further, and died on 20 February 1922. He was buried in the Roman Catholic section of Karrakatta cemetery.