Members of the New South Wales Legislative Council, 1856–1861
This is a list of members of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 1856 to 1861. The first appointments to the Legislative Council following self-government were in May 1856; these were intended to be for five-year terms. However, in May 1861 Premier Charles Cowper attempted to stack the Council with a large number of appointees, and this prompted a mass resignation from sitting MLCs. The Council was therefore prorogued, and a new Council appointed in September. This list includes members between May 1856 and September 1861.
| Name | Years in office |
| Arthur A'Beckett | 1856–1860 |
| John Alexander | 1856–1861 |
| George Allen | 1856–1861, 1861–1877 |
| George Wigram Allen | 1860–1861 |
| Lyttleton Bayley | 1859 |
| Alexander Berry | 1856–1861 |
| Isidore Blake | 1858–1859 |
| William Bland | 1858–1861 |
| James Bligh | 1856–1859 |
| Henry Bloomfield | 1856–1857 |
| Edward Broadhurst | 1856–1861 |
| Sir William Burton | 1857–1861 |
| Alexander Busby | 1856–1858 |
| James Byrnes 1 | 1861 |
| William Byrnes | 1858–1861, 1861–1891 |
| John Campbell | 1856, 1861–1886 |
| James Comrie | 1856–1861 |
| Charles Cowper | 1860 |
| William Dalley 1 | 1861, 1870–1873, 1875–1880, 1883–1888 |
| John Dawson 1 | 1861 |
| William Day 1 | 1861 |
| John Dickinson | 1856–1858 |
| John Dickson 1 | 1856–1859, 1861 |
| Joseph Docker | 1856–1861, 1863–1884 |
| Henry Douglass | 1856–1861 |
| William Dumaresq | 1856 |
| Geoffrey Eagar | 1859–1860 |
| William Faithfull | 1856–1861 |
| Robert Fitzgerald | 1856–1861, 1861–1865 |
| George Forbes | 1858–1861 |
| James Giles 1 | 1861 |
| George Graham 1 | 1861 |
| William Hardy 1 | 1861 |
| John Hargrave | 1859–1861, 1861–1865 |
| William Hellyer 1 | 1861 |
| Edward Hill 1 | 1861 |
| George Hill | 1856–1861 |
| Rowland Hill 1 | 1861 |
| George Holden | 1856–1861, 1861–1863 |
| Thomas Hood | 1856–1861 |
| Edward Hunt | 1858–1861 |
| William Innes 1 | 1861 |
| Robert Isaacs | 1857–1861 |
| Robert Jenkins | 1856–1859 |
| Robert Johnson | 1856–1861, 1863–1866 |
| David Jones | 1856–1860 |
| Edward Knox | 1856–1857, 1881–1894 |
| John Lamb | 1857–1861 |
| Andrew Lang | 1858–1861 |
| George Leary 1 | 1861 |
| Robert Lethbridge | 1856–1857 |
| Francis Lord | 1856–1861, 1864–1892 |
| Alfred Lutwyche | 1856–1859 |
| John MacFarlane | 1858–1861, 1861–1870 |
| William Mayne | 1856 |
| John McNamara | 1856–1859 |
| Francis Merewether | 1856–1861, 1861–1865 |
| James Mitchell | 1856–1861, 1861–1869 |
| Jacob Montefiore | 1856–1860, 1874–1877 |
| James Murphy 1 | 1861 |
| James Murray | 1856 |
| James Norton | 1856–1861 |
| James Norton | 1856–1861 |
| Francis Oakes | 1860–1861 |
| George Oakes 1 | 1861, 1879–1881 |
| Alexander Park | 1858–1861, 1868–1873 |
| William Pennington | 1858–1859 |
| John Plunkett | 1857–1858, 1861–1869 |
| Alexander Portus 1 | 1861 |
| Henry Prince | 1858–1861 |
| Charles Richardson 1 | 1861 |
| Campbell Riddell | 1856–1858 |
| Charles Riley | 1856–1858 |
| John Robertson | 1861, 1861, 1878–1881 |
| Ralph Robey | 1858–1861, 1861–1864 |
| Bourn Russell | 1858–1861, 1861–1880 |
| Henry Smith | 1856–1858 |
| William Spain | 1856–1858 |
| Alfred Stephen | 1856–1858, 1875–1879, 1879–1885, 1885–1890 |
| James Taylor 1 | 1861 |
| Roger Therry | 1856–1859 |
| Edward Thomson | 1856–1861, 1861–1879 |
| George Thornton 1 | 1861, 1877–1891 |
| Robert Tooth | 1856–1857 |
| Robert Towns | 1856–1861, 1863–1873 |
| James Walker | 1856 |
| John Waller 1 | 1861 |
| Randolph Want | 1856–1861 |
| Alexander Warren | 1856–1858 |
| John Williams 1 | 1861 |
| James Wilshire | 1858–1860 |
| Edward Wise | 1857–1860 |