Michael O'Grady (16 October 1824 – 5 January 1876) K.S.G., M.L.A., was and Irish-born politician in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

, member of 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 presidin ...

Background

O'Grady was born in

Frenchpark Frenchpark, historically known as Dungar (), is a village in County Roscommon, Ireland on the N5 national primary road. It was the home of Douglas Hyde, the first President of Ireland. The nearby French Park Estate was until 1952 the ancestra ...

County Roscommon "Steadfast Irish heart" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Roscommon.svg , subdivision_type = Sovereign state, Country , subdivision_name = Republic of Ireland, Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Provinces of I ...

, Ireland, and went to

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 ...

as a boy to push his fortune. In 1855 he was sent out to

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...

to establish a branch of the "People's Provident Society." The next year he removed to

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 metro ...

and was connected with insurance business.

Politics

In 1861 O'Grady entered the Lower House of the Victorian Parliament as member for South Bourke, and was Vice-president Board Land & Works and Commissioner Public Works from 6 May 1868 to 11 July 1868 in the

Charles Sladen Sir Charles Sladen, (28 August 1816 – 22 February 1884), Australian colonial politician, was the 6th Premier of Victoria. Sladen was born in England near Walmer, Kent, the second son of John Baker Sladen, deputy-lieutenant of the county. H ...

Ministry. In November 1870 O'Grady was elected as member for Villiers and Heytesbury, a position he held until his death. He again held the

Commissioner of Public Works The Walsh Act is a legislation in the U.S. state of New Jersey that permits municipalities to adopt a non-partisan commission form of government. The legislation was signed by Governor of New Jersey Woodrow Wilson on April 25, 1911. The commissi ...

post, in the

Charles Gavan Duffy Sir Charles Gavan Duffy, KCMG, PC (12 April 1816 – 9 February 1903), was an Irish poet and journalist (editor of '' The Nation''), Young Irelander and tenant-rights activist. After emigrating to Australia in 1856 he entered the politics o ...

Ministry from 19 June 1871 to 10 June 1872. O'Grady, who was created a Knight of St. Gregory by the Pope in 1871, was a member of the Hawthorn Municipal Council from 1860 to 1861 and mayor 1870 to 1871. He died at his home in

Hawthorn, Melbourne Hawthorn is an inner suburb of Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, east of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, central business district, located within the City of Boroondara Local government areas of Victoria, l ...

from a liver complaint on 5 January 1876.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ogrady, Michael 1824 births 1876 deaths Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly Irish emigrants to colonial Australia Politicians from County Roscommon 19th-century Australian politicians Ministers for Public Works (Victoria) People from Frenchpark