Arthur Martin A'Beckett (1812 – 23 May 1871) was an English-born Australian surgeon and politician who served in the

New South Wales Legislative Council The New South Wales Legislative Council, often referred to as the upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of the Australian state of New South Wales. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in th ...

from 1856 to 1860. Arthur A'Beckett died in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

in 1871.

Life

Arthur Martin A'Beckett was born in 1812 in London, United Kingdom to William A'Beckett, a solicitor, and Sarah Abbott. A'Beckett studied medicine in Paris and in London at London University From 1835 to 1837, he served as a staff surgeon to the British Legion in Spain, where he received several Spanish decorations including the Knight Bachelor of San Ferdinand. In 1838, A'Beckett married Emma Louise Elwin, with whom he had 5 sons and 5 children, with one of his sons William Channing A'Beckett being born in 1846. They migrated in that year to New South Wales after encouragement from his brother, Sir William A'Beckett.

Career

In New South Wales, he continued to serve as a surgeon, rising through the ranks of the Sydney medical fraternity. He also served as a consultant surgeon to Benevolent asylums, and as an examiner for the University of Sydney's medical faculty. In 1855, he was appointed as a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons. From 13 May 1856 to 9 November 1860, A'Beckett served on the New South Wales Legislative Council. His brother Sir William A'Beckett was

Chief Justice of Victoria The Chief Justice of Victoria is the senior judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria and the highest ranking judicial officer in the Australian state of Victoria. The Chief Justice is both the judicial head of the Supreme Court as well as the admin ...

, while his son William Channing A'Beckett later joined the New South Wales Legislative Assembly. In NSW, he continued to promote education and the arts, with A'Beckett serving as a commissioner due to his contributions to the Exposition Universelle of 1855. He also served as the President of the

Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts The Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts (SMSA) is the longest running School of Arts (also known as a " Mechanics' Institute") and the oldest continuous lending library in Australia. Founded in 1833, the school counted many of the colony's educat ...

and as a trustee of the Australian museum and

Sydney Grammar School (Praise be to God) , established = , type = Independent, day school , gender = Boys , religious_affiliation = None , slogan = , headmaster = R. B. Malpass , founder = Laurence Hynes Halloran , chairman = ...

Namesake

Arthur A'Beckett, lawyer, journalist and son of the writer Gilbert Abbott À Beckett, joined the staff of the magazine '' Punch'' in London in 1875. His first novel ''Fallen Among Thieves'', "an early country house murder & detective story", had appeared in 1870.Catalogue
London: Jarndyce, London, 2020.

References

1812 births 1871 deaths Members of the New South Wales Legislative Council 19th-century Australian politicians Colony of New South Wales politicians {{Australia-politician-stub