Parliamentary Career
John Norton served for nearly 12 years in the N.S.W. Legislative Assembly and made many enemies among other politicians. Conversely, he was very popular among his constituents. He was initially elected as the member for Sydney-Fitzroy at a by-election in June 1898 and served until the July 1898 elections. Redmer Yska in his book "Truth:The Rise and Fall of the People's Paper" states on page 16 that Norton, in a drunken stupor, once urinated in view of members on the floor of the chamber.
The Norton-Meagher fracas
John Norton featured in one of the most sensational incidents Sydney had ever witnessed back on 21 September 1898. Norton's bitter rival and fellow politician, Richard Meagher (1866–1931), member for Tweed, horsewhipped Norton in Sydney's busy Pitt Street in front of hundreds of bystanders. Meagher was angry at Norton for labeling him Mr. "Mendax" Meagher in Norton's Truth Newspaper. Norton also described Meagher as the "premier perjurer of our public life and the champion criminal of the continent". After he had been whipped, Norton responded by firing three shots at Meagher with a revolver. Both men were charged with assault at Central Police Court, although Meagher was fined just ₤5 and John Norton was found not guilty.
John Norton represented Northumberland, from 1899 to 1901; Surry Hills, from 1904 to 1906; and Darling Harbour from 1907 to 1910.
He was also elected three times as a Sydney alderman between 1898 and 1906. He also ran unsuccessfully for the Senate in 1901 and 1906.
Read more about this topic: John Norton (Australian Journalist)
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