Leake family

The Leake family was a historically prominent family associated with the Swan River Colony and the development of Perth, Western Australia. Its influence was strongest during the nineteenth century, when several generations participated in the colony's legal, political, commercial and landholding life. The family is commonly discussed within the context of the interconnected settler families that exercised substantial social and political influence in early Perth. These families were sometimes described as the "six hungry families," a term referring to their intermarriage, accumulation of property and sustained role in colonial public affairs. The family's Western Australian story developed from the arrival and settlement of members of the Leake line in the colony. Luke Leake, who was born in 1784 at High Wycombe in England, married Mary-Ann Walpole and became associated with Perth before his death there in 1838. His descendants and related family members established connections across the colony's legal, administrative and political institutions. The family tree also includes John Leake, who died in California in 1850, and other relatives whose lives connected the family to colonial migration and the wider British imperial world. Among the most significant members was George Walpole Leake, born in 1825, who arrived in Western Australia aboard the Cygnet in 1833. He became a landowner in the Swan district and held senior legal and administrative positions, including Crown Solicitor and Acting Attorney-General in 1874–1875. His career illustrates the family's transition from early colonial settlement into institutional authority within the government and legal systems of Western Australia. Sir Luke Samuel Leake, born in 1828, was another important family member. His public career contributed to the family's prominence in colonial civic life, although the available reference material gives less detail about his individual offices than it does for George Walpole Leake and his son. George Leake, born in 1856, followed the family tradition in law and government. Called to the Bar in 1880, he became Crown Solicitor, Public Prosecutor and King's Counsel. He also served as a member of the Legislative Council, representing Albany from 1894 to 1900 and West Perth from 1901 to 1902. He represented Western Australia at the Australasian Federal Convention of 1897–1898 and became Premier of Western Australia in 1901, serving until his death in 1902. The Leake family's importance extends beyond individual officeholders. Its history reflects how family networks, marriage alliances, land ownership and professional advancement shaped colonial Western Australia. The family papers held by the State Library of Western Australia document activities and relationships between 1824 and 1904, while later historical works have examined the family's political, economic and social role from 1829 to 1902. The family is therefore best understood not as a commercial brand, but as a historically significant colonial family whose members were prominent in the formation of Western Australia's institutions and public life.

The documented history of the Leake family in Western Australia is part of the broader history of British settlement, colonial administration and political consolidation in the Swan River Colony. The family genealogy traces earlier generations in England, including Lucas Leake of Sudbury and his descendants in London and surrounding areas. The Western Australian branch became established through Luke Leake, born in 1784 at High Wycombe, and his wife Mary-Ann Walpole. Luke Leake died in Perth in 1838, linking the family directly to the early colonial community. During the nineteenth century, the Leakes developed relationships with other influential settler families through marriage, property and public service. These relationships contributed to the network sometimes labelled the "six hungry families," a group of intermarried families regarded as having considerable political and social power in nineteenth-century Perth. The expression reflects the importance of kinship and inherited connections in a small colonial society, where a limited number of families occupied a large share of public offices, landholding positions and commercial opportunities. George Walpole Leake was a central figure in the family's colonial history. Born in 1825, he arrived in Western Australia on the Cygnet in 1833. He later became a landowner in the Swan district and pursued a legal and administrative career. His positions included Crown Solicitor and Acting Attorney-General during 1874 and 1875. His career placed him within the senior legal establishment of the colony and helped establish a pattern followed by his son, George Leake. Sir Luke Samuel Leake, born in 1828, was another prominent member of the family. The available reference material identifies him as an important figure in the family line and records his life from 1828 to 1886. His career formed part of the family's broader contribution to Western Australia's public and civic institutions. George Leake, born in 1856, became the best-known later-generation political figure in the reference material. He was called to the Bar in 1880 and subsequently served as Crown Solicitor and Public Prosecutor before being appointed King's Counsel. His political career included service in the Legislative Council: he represented Albany from 1894 to 1900 and West Perth from 1901 to 1902. He was also a delegate to the Australasian Federal Convention of 1897–1898, where colonial representatives considered the constitutional arrangements that led to Australian federation. In 1901 he became Premier of Western Australia, holding the office until his death in 1902. The family also maintained extensive relationships and records outside formal political office. Family papers covering 1824–1904 are held by the State Library of Western Australia, including material associated with George Walpole Leake and George Leake. These records provide evidence of landholding, legal work, public administration and family networks. Later works, including a family history focused on the period from 1829 to 1902, have interpreted the Leakes' role in the political, economic and social life of Western Australia. The Leake family declined as a distinct force in the sense that colonial political power became increasingly institutionalized and broadened beyond a small group of interconnected families. Nevertheless, its members remain part of Western Australia's historical record, particularly through the careers of George Walpole Leake and Premier George Leake, as well as through archival material documenting early Perth society.

• 1902

  End of George Leake's premiership

  [1]Leake familyen.wikipedia.org

  George Leake's premiership ended with his death in 1902, marking the close of the career of the family's most prominent later-generation political figure.

• 1901

  George Leake becomes Premier of Western Australia

  [1]Leake familyen.wikipedia.org

  George Leake became Premier of Western Australia and also represented West Perth in the Legislative Council.

• 1897

  George Leake participates in the Australasian Federal Convention

  [1]Leake familyen.wikipedia.org

  George Leake served as a Western Australian delegate to the Australasian Federal Convention of 1897–1898.

• 1894

  George Leake enters the Legislative Council

  [1]Leake familyen.wikipedia.org

  George Leake began representing Albany in the Western Australian Legislative Council, serving in that capacity until 1900.

• 1880

  George Leake is called to the Bar

  [1]Leake familyen.wikipedia.org

  George Leake entered the legal profession after being called to the Bar, beginning a career that included senior legal offices and political leadership.

• 1874

  George Walpole Leake serves as Acting Attorney-General

  [1]Leake familyen.wikipedia.org

  George Walpole Leake held the office of Acting Attorney-General in Western Australia during 1874–1875, alongside his work as Crown Solicitor.

• 1838

  Death of Luke Leake in Perth

  [1]Leake familyen.wikipedia.org

  Luke Leake, born in High Wycombe in 1784, died in Perth and became an ancestor of the prominent Western Australian branch of the family.

• 1833

  George Walpole Leake arrives in Western Australia

  [1]Leake familyen.wikipedia.org

  George Walpole Leake arrived in Western Australia aboard the Cygnet, later becoming a Swan district landowner and senior colonial legal official.

Not applicable as a commercial brand; historically, the family represented an influential settler network in Western Australian law, politics, landholding and public administration.

1. 1Leake familyen.wikipedia.org
2. 2State Library of Western Australia: Leake family papers, 1824–1904slwa.wa.gov.au