Bland, William, 1789 – 1868

William Bland (1789-1868), surgeon and parliamentarian, was born at London, son of Dr. Robert Bland. William Bland was serving as a naval surgeon on the 'Hesper' in Bombay in 1813 when he shot a man in a duel. He was tried and convicted of murder and transported to Sydney, arriving in 1814. In 1815 he received a pardon and began private practice in Sydney. Bland was sentenced to twelve months in prison in 1818 for libelling Governor Macquarie and returned to practice after serving his sentence.

Bland was an elected member of the old Legislative Council (1843-1848, 1849-1850) and after the introduction of responsible government was appointed to the NSW Legislative Council (1858-1861). [ref:ADB 1]