Robert Sayers

Article summary

Robert John Sayers (27 January 1845 – 12 May 1919) was an English-born Australian politician. Born at Cowes, on the Isle of Wight, he was educated in England before migrating to Australia in 1863. He was a goldminer in New South Wales and then Queensland, and became a mine owner in Charters Towers. Sayers was elected in 1888 to the Legislative Assembly of Queensland as the member for Charters Towers, serving until 1893. In 1906, he was elected to the Australian Senate as an Anti-Socialist Senator for Queensland, joining the Commonwealth Liberal Party in 1909. He was defeated in 1913. Sayers died in 1919, aged 74, and was buried in Brisbane's Toowong Cemetery.

Key claims

1. date of birth: 1863 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
2. date of death: 1919 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
2. The record states that the date of birth is "1863". What evidence would count against this claim?
3. The record states that the date of death is "1919". What evidence would count against this claim?
4. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
5. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1348303547