Sir Herbert Angas Parsons, KBE, KC (23 May 1872 – 2 November 1945), generally known as Sir Angas Parsons, was a Cornish Australian lawyer, politician and judge.
Parsons was born in North Adelaide on 23 May 1872, the only son of Cornish born minister and politician John Langdon Parsons (1837–1903) and his first wife Rose.[1]
In 1912 he stood for parliament and was elected member of the South Australian House of Assembly for Torrens (1912–1915), and subsequently member for Murray.[4][5] It was around June of this year that he became universally referred to as "Angas Parsons".
He was briefly Attorney-General of South Australia and minister of education in 1915. Parsons was appointed King's Counsel in 1916, a judge of the Supreme Court in 1921, senior puisne judge in 1927, and acting chief justice in 1935. On occasions, Parsons acted as Lieutenant-Governor of South Australia and, after his father's death, in 1904 he became consul for Japan.[3]
Like his father-in-law, he became president of the Cornish Association of South Australia. He was also warden of the University of Adelaide's senate, and vice-chancellor from 1942 to 1944.
On 18 April 1900, Parsons married Mary Elsie Bonython (1874–1956), eldest surviving child of Sir John Langdon Bonython and his wife Mary Louisa Fredericka née Balthasar.[8] They had two sons.
Mary Elsie Parsons served with distinction as Mayoress at official functions for her widowed brother Sir John Lavington Bonython in 1911 and 1912.
Parsons died of cirrhosis on 2 November 1945. Survived by Lady Parsons and their two sons Philip Brendon Angas Parsons (1905– ) and Geoffrey Bonython Parsons (1908– ), he was buried with his parents in North Road Cemetery.[3]
Parsons dressed as the King of Spades for the Adelaide Mayoral Children's Fancy Dress Ball, 1887
Elsie dressed as a Norwegian fishgirl, 1887
Elsie's bridesmaids - 18 April 1900; left to right: Elsie Parsons (half sister of bridegroom); Ada & Edith Bonython (sisters of the bride); Winifred Bonython (cousin of the bride)
Herbert, Elsie, & friend, Garden party at Government House, 1912
1917 - Members of an Observation School Committee; Angas Parsons sitting front row, second from left.
1920
1921
1921 - Lady Weigall, wife of the Governor of South Australia, accompanied by her daughter Priscilla greeting Sir George Murray, Lieutenant Governor and Justice Angas Parsons at a garden party held in the grounds of Government House, Adelaide.
