He was born at Lower Alma, Timor, Victoria, to Julia, née Farrell, of Portarlington, Ireland, and farmer John Waygood Horsington, of Somerset, England.
[3] In Victoria, John had tried shoemaking in Brunswick, in partnership with his brother James,[4] gold mining in the Maryborough area,[5] and whilst farming at Lower Alma, floated a gold-mining company, the Horsington Freehold Claim,[6] which was financially unsuccessful.
During the debate to proceed with amending the Bill for Compensation for diseased Broken Hill miners, Horsington directed language towards the Premier which was "worthy of censure" and was removed from the Chamber.
[12] On 24 July 1947, the Barrier Miner, a Broken Hill newspaper, published: Former member for Sturt in the State Parliament, Mr. Edward Matthew Horsington, died at Waverley Memorial Hospital, Sydney, yesterday.
Born and educated at Maryborough, Victoria, Mr. Horsington worked on pastoral properties and, on mines in Queensland, Western Australia, and New South Wales before entering the State Parliament over 24 years ago.
[15] In September 1951, a section of the Silverton Highway on the outskirts of Broken Hill, was named Horsington Drive, to commemorate his work, and 180 trees donated by industry were planted as an avenue.