Henry Miller (31 December 1809 – 7 February 1888) was an Australian banker and politician, member of 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 ...

Early life

Miller was born in Derry, Ireland, the son of Captain

Henry Miller Henry Valentine Miller (December 26, 1891 – June 7, 1980) was an American novelist. He broke with existing literary forms and developed a new type of semi-autobiographical novel that blended character study, social criticism, philosophical ref ...

, of H.M.'s 40th Regiment of Foot, who served with distinction in the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...

, and was at the

battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...

, and his wife Jane, ''née'' Morpeth. In 1823 Miller senior proceeded with a detachment of his regiment in charge of a batch of convicts to Sydney, his family accompanying him.

Early career

Shortly afterwards Miller senior was appointed commandant at

Moreton Bay Moreton Bay is a bay located on the eastern coast of Australia from central Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources. The waters of Moreton Bay are a popular destination for recreational anglers and are ...

, where he spent eighteen months, and was then transferred to

Van Diemen's Land Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania used by the British during the European exploration of Australia in the 19th century. A British settlement was established in Van Diemen's Land in 1803 before it became a sep ...

, where he died at Hobart in 1866. After the arrival of the family in what was afterwards Tasmania, Miller junior obtained an appointment as an accountant in the audit office at Hobart, and at the age of twenty-four married Eliza, second daughter of the late Captain Mattinson of the Merchant Service. In 1839 Miller visited the

Port Phillip District The Port Phillip District was an administrative division of the Colony of New South Wales from 9 September 1836 until 1 July 1851, when it was separated from New South Wales and became the Colony of Victoria. In September 1836, NSW Colonial Sec ...

, and subsequently resigned his appointment in

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

, and came to Melbourne, where he settled at Richmond. He was one of the promoters of the Bank of Victoria, which was incorporated in October 1852, and was elected as the first chairman of directors, a post which he continued to occupy up till his death. He also originated a number of Insurance Companies and Building Societies.

Political career

On the separation of Port Phillip from New South Wales in 1851, Mr. Miller was elected to represent South Bourke, Evelyn and Mornington, in the original unicameral

. In July 1852 Miller induced the Legislative Council to petition the Queen to authorise the establishment of a branch of the Royal mint in Melbourne. Miller supported the ballot, and on the inauguration of the constitution in 1856 he was returned to the Upper House for the Central province. On the formation of the first O'Shanassy Administration, in March 1858, Mr. Miller became Minister of Trade and Customs, and was sworn of the Executive Council, and elected to the Legislative Council for the Western province. In July 1866 he joined the first McCulloch Ministry as Commissioner of Railways, but on going before his constituents he was defeated, and resigned office in January 1867, retiring thenceforward from public life. Miller was a most successful speculator in Melbourne property, and having conducted his investments with marvellous prudence, died on 7 February 1888, at his property ''Findon'' (built by Stephen Henty) in Kew, Melbourne, leaving enormous wealth.

Family

Henry Miller married Eliza Mattinson (died 5 April 1892), daughter of Captain Mattinson, on 11 November 1834. Their children included: * William Henry Miller (c. 1839 – 20 September 1915) was a noted businessman; he was connected with the Bank of Victoria and a director of the

AMP Society AMP is a financial services company in Australia and New Zealand providing superannuation and investment products, financial advice, and banking products (through AMP Banking) including home loans and savings accounts. Its headquarters is in ...

. He married; they had four sons and five daughters. *Albert Miller (c. 1845 – 27 May 1915) *Sir Edward Miller (1848-1932), was a member of the

for

South Yarra Province South Yarra Province was an electorate of the Victorian Legislative Council from November 1882 until May 1904. South Yarra Province was created in the redistribution of provinces in 1882 when the Central and Eastern Provinces were abolished. ...

1892–1912. *Septimus Miller (1850 – 7 June 1925) The Miller brothers were famous horsemen, known for hunting and steeplechasing, closely associated with their property Mill Park and the horse Redleap.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Henry 1809 births 1888 deaths Members of the Victorian Legislative Council Politicians from Derry (city) Irish emigrants to colonial Australia 19th-century Australian politicians