Sir Frederick Thomas Sargood (30 May 1834 – 2 January 1903) was an Australian politician, Minister of Defence and Education in the
Government of Victoria 1890–1892 and Senator in the
Australian Senate 1901–03.
Early life
Sargood was born in
Walworth
Walworth () is a district of south London, England, within the London Borough of Southwark. It adjoins Camberwell to the south and Elephant and Castle to the north, and is south-east of Charing Cross.
Major streets in Walworth include the Old ...
,
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, the eldest child of
Frederick James Sargood
Frederick James Sargood (1805 – 15 January 1873) was a merchant and politician in colonial Victoria, a member of the Victorian Legislative Council and Victorian Legislative Assembly.
Early life
Sargood was probably born in England. The 1871 c ...
(later a member of the old
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 C ...
), and Emma, daughter of Thomas Rippon,
Chief Cashier
The Chief Cashier of the Bank of England is the person responsible for issuing banknotes at the Bank of England and is the director of the divisions which provide the Bank of England's banking infrastructure. This person is known to the general ...
of the
Bank of England.
F. T. Sargood was educated at private schools and arrived with his family aboard the ''Clifton'' 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 ...
on 12 February 1850.
[ He initially worked as a clerk in the Public Works Department, but in 1851 joined his father's softgoods business, Sargood, King & Co., and in 1859 became a junior partner in it. In the same year he joined the Victorian volunteer artillery as a private and eventually reached the rank of ]lieutenant-colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colo ...
. He also took an interest in rifle shooting. In 1858 Sargood married Marian Australia, daughter of George Rolfe, later a politician.[
]
Political career
In May 1874 Sargood entered the 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 C ...
by winning a by-election for Central Province,[ and in 1875 he became the first chairman of the ]Melbourne Harbor Trust
The Melbourne Harbor Trust was established in 1877 to improve and operate port facilities for the growing city of Melbourne. It was superseded by the Port of Melbourne Authority in 1978 and later by the Port of Melbourne Corporation.
Creation
...
. Sargood was a commissioner of savings banks in 1874–80.[ Sargood's wife Marian died in childbirth on 6 January 1880; he resigned from the council and visited England later the same year with his nine children.][ Sargood was appointed a delegate by the Victorian government to represent the colony before the Imperial Commission for the protection of British possessions abroad. Sargood married Julia Tomlin on 2 December 1880 on the ]Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight ( ) is a Counties of England, county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the List of islands of England#Largest islands, largest and List of islands of England#Mo ...
[ and returned to Melbourne in 1882.
Sargood held the Legislative Council Province of ]South Yarra
South Yarra is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 4 km south-east of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, Central Business District, located within the Cities of City of Melbourne, Melbourne and City of Sto ...
from November 1882 to March 1901.[
] In March 1883 Sargood became an Honorary Minister in the James Service
James Service (27 November 1823 – 12 April 1899), Australian colonial politician, was the 12th Premier of Victoria, Australia.
Biography
Service was born in Kilwinning, Ayrshire, Scotland, the son of Robert Service. As a young man James wor ...
government. In the same year when the Defence Department was formed, he was the first Minister of Defence, and carried through the reorganization of the defences which involved the changeover from volunteer to militia forces. Rifle clubs were formed and the important cadet corps movement for schoolboys was also due to Sargood's efforts. In 1885 he took the additional portfolio of Minister of Water-supply, and held both positions until the resignation of the ministry in February 1886. He was appointed Vice-President of the Melbourne Centennial Exhibition of 1888 and subsequently Executive Vice-President and Treasurer. Sargood was also president of the Melbourne Chamber of Commerce 1886–1888, and his name stood very high in the business world. When he joined his father's business it was a comparatively small one, but now under the name of Sargood Butler and Nichol it had become one of the largest in Australia, with branches in other cities. It was subsequently extended to New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
and before Sargood's death the number of employees was over 5000. When William Hearn died in 1888, Sargood became Leader of the Legislative Council, in which position he examined all bills coming from the Legislative Assembly and showed much critical ability. He joined the James Munro ministry in November 1890 as Minister of Defence and of Education, but withdrew when the ministry was reconstructed under William Shiels
William Shiels (3 December 1848 – 17 December 1904) was an Australian colonial-era politician, serving as the 16th Premier of Victoria.
Biography
Shiels was born in Maghera, County Londonderry, a town in the centre of Ulster in the north of ...
in February 1892, because he was unable to agree with Shiels's adhesion to the "one man one vote" principle.
Although Sargood' political leanings were conservative, he had piloted the first Factories Act through the Council with skill, and in his own firm, the Saturday half-holiday had been brought in as far back as 1852. Sargood joined the George Turner government in September 1894 as Minister of Defence, but about three months later again resigned on a question of principle. He again took up the position of Leader of the Council and had a prominent part in the Federation movement. His views on the tariff prevented his being elected as one of the Victorian delegates to the 1897 convention, but at the first federal election in 1901 he was elected as one of the senators for Victoria in spite of the opposition of the protectionist press. When the Senate met he was nominated for the position of President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
which, however, went to Sir Richard Baker by 21 votes to 12. Sargood, however, took a leading position in the Senate.
Late life and legacy
Sargood was created Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in 1885 and was knighted KCMG in 1890. He died suddenly while on a holiday in Taihape
Taihape is in the Rangitikei District of the North Island of New Zealand. It serves a large rural community. State Highway 1, which runs North to South through the centre of the North Island, passes through the town.
History and culture
Early ...
, New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
on 2 January 1903. He was the first serving Australian Senator to die in office. Lady Sargood survived him with five sons and four daughters of the first marriage, and one daughter of the second.
Sargood was prominently connected with many philanthropic and religious movements.
The large Rippon Lea Estate
Rippon Lea Estate is a heritage-listed historic house and gardens located in Elsternwick, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is in the care of the National Trust of Australia. It was added to the Australian National Heritage List on 11 August 20 ...
in Elsternwick
Elsternwick is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 9 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Glen Eira local government area. Elsternwick recorded a population of 10,887 at the 2 ...
was originally built for Sargood in 1868.
One son, Frederick George Sargood, moved to Sydney and became a prominent retailer. He lived for a time in ''Rippon Grange'', a mansion in Water Street, Wahroonga
Wahroonga is a suburb in the Upper North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, 18 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government areas of Ku-ring-gai Council and Hornsby Shire. ...
, which was designed by Howard Joseland
Howard Joseland (1860–1930) was an English architect who migrated to Australia and pursued a successful and influential career there.
Early life
Richard George Howard Joseland was born on 14 January 1860 at Claines, Worcestershire, Engl ...
.Federation house wikispaces
/ref> The Sargood family vault is located in Gore Hill cemetery, St Leonards St Leonards may refer to:
Places Australia
*St Leonards, New South Wales
**St Leonards railway station
*St Leonards, Tasmania, suburb of Launceston
*St Leonards, Victoria
Canada
*St. Leonard's, Newfoundland and Labrador
New Zealand
* St L ...
.
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sargood, Frederick Thomas
1834 births
1903 deaths
Members of the Victorian Legislative Council
Australian federationists
People from Southwark
Politicians from Melbourne
English emigrants to colonial Australia
Australian Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
Australian politicians awarded knighthoods
Members of the Australian Senate
Members of the Australian Senate for Victoria
Free Trade Party members of the Parliament of Australia
19th-century Australian politicians
20th-century Australian politicians