Alexander Fyfe (1826 – 2 May 1903) was a Scottish-born settler of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, Australia, who became a member of the

Victorian Legislative Assembly The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The presiding ...

Victorian Legislative Council The Victorian Legislative Council (VLC) is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria, Australia, the lower house being the Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The Legislative Co ...

and the

Queensland Legislative Assembly The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembly ...

Early life

Fyfe was born in Scotland, the son of Jane Nicholson Bailliff. Fyfe emigrated to Australia, arriving in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

in January 1848 aboard the ''Stag'' and settled in

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, ...

. In Geelong, he was involved in the establishment of the: * first

building society A building society is a financial institution owned by its members as a mutual organization. Building societies offer banking and related financial services, especially savings and mortgage lending. Building societies exist in the United Kingdo ...

* the first bathing house * the Geelong

Chamber of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to ad ...

* the

fire brigade A fire department (American English) or fire brigade (Commonwealth English), also known as a fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organization that provides fire prevention and fire suppression se ...

* a newspaper * the

Mechanic's Institute Gray's School of Art is the Robert Gordon University's art school, located in Aberdeen, Scotland. It is one of the oldest established fine art institutions in Scotland and one of Scotland's five art schools today, and ranked among the Top 20 S ...

* the first

regatta Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wate ...

(he owned four full-rigged vessels and chartered eleven more) He was president of the: * Mechanic's Institute * the first cricket club in Victoria * Geelong Agricultural Society and a director/trustee of: * the

Geelong Botanic Gardens The Geelong Botanic Gardens is a botanical garden in the city of Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The gardens are located within Eastern Park on the eastern outskirts of the central business district. They were established in 1850 and are the fo ...

* the Flinders State School * the Geelong-Melbourne railway and captain of the first volunteer regiment. Alexander Fyfe was one of the first gold diggers at

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands (Victoria), Central Highlands of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resid ...

. He was secretary of the Anti-Gold License Committee and contributed to legal expenses of the trial of

Peter Lalor Peter Fintan Lalor (; 5 February 1827 – 9 February 1889) was an Irish-Australian rebel and, later, politician who rose to fame for his leading role in the Eureka Rebellion, an event identified with the "birth of democracy" in Australia. ...

, the leader of the

Eureka Rebellion The Eureka Rebellion was a series of events involving gold miners who revolted against the British administration of the colony of Victoria, Australia during the Victorian gold rush. It culminated in the Battle of the Eureka Stockade, which ...

Politics

Fyfe was elected to the Victorian Legislative Council for

in June 1854, a position he held until the original Council was abolished in 1856. Fyfe was elected to the inaugural Victorian Legislative Assembly as one of the four members for

in November 1856, a seat he held until resigning in November 1857 due to insolvency. Fyfe moved to Queensland where he purchased a pastoral property from P. F. MacDonald near Peak Downs and became a pastoralist and auctioneer. He represented

Rockhampton Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. The population of Rockhampton in June 2021 was 79,967, Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. making it the fourth-largest city in the state outside of the ...

in the

from 20 June 1870 to 24 November 1873.Fyfe, Alexander

Government of Queensland The Queensland Government is the democratic administrative authority of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland. The Government of Queensland, a parliamentary system, parliamentary constitutional monarchy was form ...

. Retrieved 13 February 2015.

Latter life

Fyfe returned to Melbourne around 1873 and died in

Preston, Victoria Preston is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Darebin local government area. Preston recorded a population of 33,790 at the 2021 census. History Settleme ...

on 2 May 1903.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fyfe, Alexander 1827 births 1903 deaths History of Victoria (Australia) Members of the Victorian Legislative Council Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly Scottish emigrants to colonial Australia Australian auctioneers 19th-century Australian politicians 19th-century Australian businesspeople