John Hood (c.1817 – 22 November 1877) was an Australian chemist 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 Co ...

, and later, 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 ...

Early life

Hood was born in

County Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population o ...

, Ireland, the son of James Hood, a farmer, and Margaret, ''nee'' O'Neill.

Early career

In June 1840, Hood arrived 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 ...

and joined the firm of Robert Wilson & Company around 1841, later becoming head of the firm.

Political career

On the inauguration of the constitution in 1856 Hood was returned to the

Upper House An upper house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house.''Bicameralism'' (1997) by George Tsebelis The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smalle ...

for the Central province until resigning in September 1859. Hood then successfully stood for the

seat of

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

Family

Hood was father of Sir Joseph Henry Hood (1846–1922), puisne judge of the

Supreme Court of Victoria The Supreme Court of Victoria is the highest court in the Australian state of Victoria. Founded in 1852, it is a superior court of common law and equity, with unlimited and inherent jurisdiction within the state. The Supreme Court comprises ...

, and grandfather of violinist Florence Hood (1880–1968).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hood, John 1817 births 1877 deaths Members of the Victorian Legislative Council People from County Antrim Irish emigrants to colonial Australia 19th-century Australian politicians Australian chemists Irish chemists