Francis Bede Freehill (22 November 1854 – 12 March 1908) was an Australian solicitor and activist. He was born 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 ...

to baker Patrick Freehill and Margaret Cosgrove. His father was also an Irish Catholic organiser, and Francis attended the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

, where he received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in 1874 and a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in 1876. In 1877, he was admitted as a solicitor; he practised in Cowra and Bathurst before inheriting the firm of his brother, Bernard Austin Freehill, in 1880. In 1883, he helped organise

John Redmond John Edward Redmond (1 September 1856 – 6 March 1918) was an Irish nationalism, Irish nationalist politician, barrister, and Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), MP in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. He was best known as lead ...

's visit, and in 1885 became president of the Irish National League in New South Wales. Freehill became a leading spokesman for Irish Catholics in the colony, and made five unsuccessful runs for the

New South Wales Legislative Assembly The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wales Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament Ho ...

between 1885 and 1895. In 1893, he was one of the founding members of the Australasian

Federation A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...

League in New South Wales, and he was involved in the "yes" campaign for the establishment of the Commonwealth. On 14 April 1888 he married Eileen Marie Molony. In 1896 he was appointed Spanish consul, a position he held until his death. He was involved in the raising of the Irish Volunteer Rifles from 1896; he rose to the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

and retired in 1906. He was created a papal chamberlain in 1903 and was a founder of Lewisham Hospital. He toured Europe in 1907, and died at Lewisham Hospital in 1908. Freehill Tower at St John's College in Sydney University was funded by his widow and named in his honour. The firm which he inherited from his brother survives as part of the merged international firm Herbert Smith Freehills, and is one of the largest law firms in Australia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Freehill, Francis 1854 births 1908 deaths Australian federationists