Family background
Charles Cranes was born Carl Peter Friberg in 1857 in Helsingborg, Skåne, Sweden, the son of Sven Peter Friberg and Cecilia Elisabeth Bergstrom. In 1879, he emigrated to Australia from Sweden on the sailing ship West Riding. After 15 years’ residence in the colony of NSW, on 22 June 1894 he became a naturalised British subject with the name Charles Cranes.
Cranes married Elizabeth D’Arcy (1859-1917), an Irish immigrant, on 29 May 1880. The pair had 8 children, of which 6 lived to adulthood. Following the death of his first wife on 6 October 1917, Cranes married Elizabeth Christina Howells (1880-1967) in 1918.
Cranes moved from Paddington to Como in the Sutherland Shire in his later years. He died on 6 March 1936, aged 80, at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown, survived by his second wife, 6 children, 15 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren. His funeral, conducted by F W Hartley Motor Funeral Directors, was held on 9 March 1936 at Woronora Memorial Park.
Occupation & interests
Cranes first worked as a sailor, and after emigrating to Sydney variously worked as a wood and coal merchant, carter, grocer, and later as a builder and contractor.
Community activity
Cranes was a brother of the Grand United Order of Oddfellows, associated with the branches in Paddington and later Como. In 1893, he was elected vice-president of the Woollahra Labour Electoral League.
Local government service
Cranes first stood for election in February 1893 for the Borough of Paddington (Glenmore Ward). He was unsuccessful, being defeated by Maitland Whysall. He stood again for Glenmore Ward in February 1894, but was again defeated by the sitting alderman, Denis Brown.
When Brown resigned his seat early on 17 April 1895, Cranes nominated for the election. However, he later withdrew his nomination and Brown was re-elected on 11 May 1895. At the February 1897 elections, Cranes again nominated for Glenmore Ward, but later withdrew.
Cranes ran in the February 1903 election for Glenmore Ward, but was defeated by bus proprietor John Spencer, and stood again in the February 1904 election but was defeated by Austin James Kenny.
Cranes was first elected, on his sixth attempt, to the Municipality of Paddington (Glenmore Ward), on 1 February 1908, topping the ward poll with 152 votes. He was re-elected in January 1911, January 1914, June 1917 and January 1920.
Cranes lost his seat in the December 1922 municipal election, when the Labor Party took control of the council, with the Labor ticket of Maurice O’Sullivan, Thomas Hodge, and Albert Thwaites, unseating the three incumbent aldermen Cranes, Albert Pointing, and John Marsh.
Cranes ran for election one last time in December 1925 in a bid to return to his former Glenmore Ward seat. However, he was again unsuccessful.
References
Compiled and researched by Andrew Beveridge, 2024
The information about this alderman was compiled in collaboration with Woollahra Library and Information Service.
‘Funerals. Cranes’, Sydney Morning Herald, 8 October 1917, p. 5, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article15748597
‘Mr. Chas. Cranes Dead’, The Sun, 7 March 1936, p. 3, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article230832432
‘Mr. C. Cranes’, Sydney Morning Herald, 16 March 1936, p. 8, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17317617
‘Deaths. Cranes’, Sydney Morning Herald, 7 March 1936, p. 16, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17332492
‘Funerals. Cranes’, Sydney Morning Herald, 9 March 1936, p. 7, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17320221
‘Municipal Elections. Paddington’, The Australian Star, 6 February 1893, p. 8, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article227182756
‘Advertising. Borough of Paddington’, Sydney Morning Herald, 8 February 1893, p. 2, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article13896645
‘Advertising. Municipal Elections. Municipality of Paddington’, The Daily Telegraph, 3 February 1908, p. 4, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article238087626
‘Municipality of Paddington. Triennial Elections’, Evening News, 24 January 1908, p. 3, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article114097175
‘Advertising. Municipal Elections. Municipality of Paddington’, Sydney Morning Herald,31 January 1911, p. 3, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article15208722
‘The Polling. Municipal Elections. Apathetic Electors’, Sydney Morning Herald, 2 February 1914, p. 10, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article15473283
‘Municipal Elections. Municipality of Paddington’, Sydney Morning Herald, 3 July 1917, p. 5, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article15757118
‘Municipal Elections. Municipality of Paddington’, Sydney Morning Herald, 2 February 1920, p. 3, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article15885090
‘Municipal Elections – Paddington’, Sunday Times, 3 December 1922, p. 2, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article128209493
‘Paddington All Labor’, The Sun, 4 December 1922, p. 2, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article224159977
‘The Municipal Elections. Notes on the Contest’, The Daily Telegraph, 3 December 1925, p. 8, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article245050088
‘Municipal Elections – Yesterday’s Contests In Suburbs – Paddington’, Sunday Times, 6 December 1925, p. 2, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article128154101