Frederick Sheppard Grimwade (10 November 1840 – 4 August 1910) was a businessman and Victorian member of parliament. Born in

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

, England, Grimwade arrived in Victoria in 1863. In 1867 he bought a pharmaceutical company and renamed it Felton Grimwade & Co.; it soon became the largest in the colony, prospering well into the next century. Today some of Australia's largest public companies have a lineage going back to his family and businesses. Grimwade represented

North Yarra Province North Yarra Province was an electorate of the Victorian Legislative Council, the upper house of the Victorian Parliament. It was created in the redistribution of provinces in 1882 when the original provinces of Central and Eastern were abolish ...

in the Legislative Council for thirteen years from 1891. He opposed gambling, workers' compensation, old-age pensions and the national harmonization of time zones, but he passionately and successfully advocated for the legalization of

cremation Cremation is a method of Disposal of human corpses, final disposition of a Cadaver, dead body through Combustion, burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India ...

Legacy

Frederick Grimwade was buried in

St Kilda Cemetery St Kilda Cemetery is located in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda East, Victoria. History St Kilda Cemetery covers a large block bordered by Dandenong Road, Hotham Street, Alma Road and Alexandra Street. It is bounded by a historic wall and conta ...

on 5 August 1910. His mansion, "Harleston" (1875), was later donated by his family to

Melbourne Grammar School (Pray and Work) , established = 1849 (on present site since 1858 - the celebrated date of foundation) , type = Independent, co-educational primary, single-sex boys secondary, day and boarding , denominatio ...

and renamed Grimwade House. His country retreat at Somers on the

Mornington Peninsula The Mornington Peninsula is a peninsula located south of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is surrounded by Port Phillip to the west, Western Port to the east and Bass Strait to the south, and is connected to the mainland in the north. Geogra ...

, "Coolart", eventually became a public wetlands reserve. Grimwade's children included Major General

Harold Grimwade Major General Harold William Grimwade, (18 May 1869 – 2 January 1949) was an Australian businessman and pharmacist, and a senior officer in the Australian Army. Early life and career Harold William Grimwade was born on 18 May 1869 in St Kil ...

, who was a businessman and pharmacist and served as an artillery officer in France during World War I, and

Russell Grimwade Sir Wilfrid Russell Grimwade (15 October 1879 - 2 November 1955) was an Australian chemist, botanist, industrialist and philanthropist. He was the son of Frederick Sheppard Grimwade and brother of Harold Grimwade. An endowment by Grimwade in 19 ...

, who was a chemist, botanist, industrialist and philanthropist.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grimwade, Frederick Sheppard 1840 births 1910 deaths Victoria (state) state politicians Members of the Victorian Legislative Council People from Norfolk English emigrants to colonial Australia 19th-century Australian politicians 20th-century Australian politicians 19th-century Australian businesspeople