James Cowie (9 January 1809 – 14 November 1892) was an early 19th-century settler of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, Australia, who became a member of both the

Victorian Legislative Assembly The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The presiding ...

and

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 Co ...

and also served as

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, ...

Life and work

Cowie was born in

Falkirk Falkirk ( gd, An Eaglais Bhreac, sco, Fawkirk) is a large town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow. Falkirk had a ...

, Scotland, the son of a brewer. After an apprenticeship as a saddler and harness maker in London, Cowie emigrated to Australia in 1840; and, after a spell in

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 sepa ...

, he settled in

, which was then known as Corio. He established a number of successful commercial ventures, including shops and a mining & shipping agency, and he made his fortune during the

Victorian gold rush The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. It led to a period of extreme prosperity for the Australian colony, and an influx of population growth and financial capita ...

. When the Geelong municipality was formed in 1849, he was among those who provided financial securities for the new body to carry out works and topped the poll in the first elections for the council. In November 1852, Cowie was elected mayor of Geelong. He served as mayor for a year before being elected to represent

in the Legislative Council of Victoria following the separation of Victoria from New South Wales in 1851. After two years, he resigned to undertake a short visit to Britain. He returned to Australia aboard the '' Schomberg'', which was wrecked on its maiden voyage off

Port Campbell Port Campbell () is a coastal town in Victoria, Australia. The town is on the Great Ocean Road, west of the Twelve Apostles, in the Shire of Corangamite. At the , Port Campbell had a population of 478. History The port and the town are name ...

. Cowie was rescued and returned to Geelong. From October 1956 Cowie served on the new Legislative Council representing South Western Province until September 1858 before being elected to the Legislative Assembly for Geelong East. Cowie is included in the photographic montage published by Thomas Foster Chuck in 1872 entitled " The Explorers and Early Colonists of Victoria". The Cowie ward on the present day Geelong Council is named to commemorate him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cowie, James 1809 births 1892 deaths 19th-century Australian politicians History of Victoria (Australia) Mayors of Geelong Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly Members of the Victorian Legislative Council People from Falkirk Scottish emigrants to colonial Australia Settlers of Victoria (Australia)