McKenzie Grant (c. 1834 – 15 September 1897) was an Australian pastoralist and politician. He owned or leased large quantities of land in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

, especially in the

North-West The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, Radius, radially arrayed compass directions (or Azimuth#In navigation, azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east ...

, and served in the Legislative Council of Western Australia from 1880 to 1887 and again from 1889 to 1893.

Early life

Grant was born in Scotland to Margaret (née McKenzie) and George Grant. He arrived in Australia in 1852,McKenzie Grant
– Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 30 December 2016. 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 ...

, and initially worked on the goldfields at

Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban population of 100,991, makin ...

. He then went to

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

for a period before returning to Victoria and settling in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

. In 1864, Grant was involved in the formation of the Portland Squatting Company, along with brothers

Alexander Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

and John Richardson and several others. The syndicate sought to exploit liberal land regulations in other colonies, and the following year its founders sailed to the

and established

Pyramid Station Pyramid Station is a pastoral lease and cattle station located approximately east of Karratha in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The station has also previously run sheep on its pastures. Covering an area of , the station is situate ...

. Grant remained in the

Pilbara The Pilbara () is a large, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Aboriginal peoples; its ancient landscapes; the red earth; and its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore. It is also a glo ...

when the company was dissolved a few years later, and went into partnership with Charles Harper on the

De Grey River The De Grey River is a river located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. It was named on 16 August 1861 by the explorer and surveyor Francis Gregory after Thomas de Grey, 2nd Earl de Grey, who was at the time the president of the Royal ...

."DEATH OF MR. M'KENZIE GRANT, J.P."
''The West Australian'', 16 September 1897. He also bought land in the nearby town of Roebourne.

Politics and later life

In March 1880, Grant was elected to the Legislative Council's Northern District, serving until April 1887. Having earlier purchased property in the Victoria Land District, he returned to parliament in January 1889 as the member for the seat of Geraldton. The Legislative Council was reconstituted in 1890 as 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 ...

of a new

bicameral Bicameralism is a type of legislature, one divided into two separate assemblies, chambers, or houses, known as a bicameral legislature. Bicameralism is distinguished from unicameralism, in which all members deliberate and vote as a single grou ...

parliament, and Grant continued to serve as a nominee of the

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

, William Robinson. He resigned his seat in July 1893, after falling ill,''The Inquirer and Commercial News''
14 July 1893. and died in Perth in September 1897. Grant had married Jane Hunter Eagar in 1875, with whom he had six sons and a daughter.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grant, McKenzie 1830s births 1897 deaths Australian pastoralists Members of the Western Australian Legislative Council Scottish emigrants to Australia Settlers of Western Australia 19th-century Australian businesspeople 19th-century Australian politicians

Early life

Politics and later life

See also

References