Thomas Howard Fellows (October 1822 – 8 April 1878) was an English

rower Rowing, sometimes called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars are attached to the boat using oarlocks, while paddles are not connected to the boat. Rowing is ...

and an Australian politician and Judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria.

Early life in England

Fellows was born at

Rickmansworth Rickmansworth () is a town in southwest Hertfordshire, England, about northwest of central London and inside the perimeter of the M25 motorway. The town is mainly to the north of the Grand Union Canal (formerly the Grand Junction Canal) and t ...

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

, the son of Thomas Fellows, solicitor, and his wife Mary Howard. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

and then worked with his father. He studied in Pleaders' chambers and was later assistant to the master pleader, Thomas Chitty. In 1847 he published ''The Law of Costs as Affected by the Small Debts Act and Other Statutes''. Fellows was also an enthusiastic rower and rowed for

Leander Club Leander Club, founded in 1818, is one of the oldest rowing clubs in the world, and the oldest non-academic club. It is based in Remenham in Berkshire, England and adjoins Henley-on-Thames. Only three other surviving clubs were founded prior to ...

. In 1846, he was runner up in the

Diamond Challenge Sculls The Diamond Challenge Sculls is a rowing event for men's single sculls at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. First run in 1844, it is open to male scullers from all eligible rowing clubs.

to Edward Moon and with E Fellows as partner runner up in Silver Wherries. He was also unsuccessful in the

Wingfield Sculls The Wingfield Sculls is a rowing race held annually on the River Thames in London, England, on the Championship Course from Putney to Mortlake. The race is between single scullers and is usually on the Saturday three to four weeks before the S ...

. In 1847 he was runner up in Silver Wherries with T Pollock. He was one of the signatories to the revised rules for the Wingfield Sculls in 1848. In 1849 he was a member of the Leander crew which won the

Stewards' Challenge Cup The Stewards' Challenge Cup is a rowing event for men's coxless fours at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. It is open to male crews from all eligible rowing clubs. Two or more clubs may combine t ...

. In 1850 he was runner up with C L Vaughan in

Silver Goblets The Silver Goblets & Nickalls' Challenge Cup is a rowing event for men's coxless pairs at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. It is open to male crews from all eligible rowing club A rowing club ...

at Henley to

James John Hornby James John Hornby CVO (18 December 1826 – 2 November 1909) was an English rower and headmaster of Eton College from 1868 to 1884. Early life Hornby was born at Winwick, the third son of Admiral Sir Phipps Hornby and his wife Sophia Maria Bu ...

and

Joseph William Chitty Sir Joseph William Chitty (28 May 1828 – 15 February 1899) was an English cricketer, rower, judge and Liberal politician. Early life Chitty was born in London, the second son of Thomas Chitty (himself son and brother of well-known lawye ...

who was the son of Thomas Chitty. Fellows took out a certificate as a special pleader and practised until called to the Bar in November 1852. Shortly after, he sailed to Australia in the ''Kent''.

Political career in Australia

In April 1853 Fellows 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 was admitted to the Victorian Bar in May. He considered seeking a police magistracy, but in time was appointed standing counsel to the Pastoral Association. He was a keen sportsman and in Melbourne often rowed on the

Yarra River The Yarra River or historically, the Yarra Yarra River, (Kulin languages: ''Berrern'', ''Birr-arrung'', ''Bay-ray-rung'', ''Birarang'', ''Birrarung'', and ''Wongete'') is a perennial river in south-central Victoria, Australia. The lower stre ...

and played football with the South Yarra Football Club. In September 1854 Fellows was elected to 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 ...

for

Loddon Loddon may refer to: *Loddon, Norfolk in England, UK *Shire of Loddon in Victoria, Australia (since 1995) **Bridgewater On Loddon, Victoria in Australia *River Loddon, flows into the River Thames near Reading *Loddon River, flows north from south of ...

. He succeeded Robert Molesworth as Solicitor-General in the government of

William Haines Charles William Haines (January 2, 1900 – December 26, 1973) was an American actor and interior designer. Haines was discovered by a talent scout and signed with Goldwyn Pictures in 1922. His career gained momentum when he received favo ...

in June 1856. In August 1856 he stood unsuccessfully for Central Province but was elected for the

Electoral district of St Kilda The Electoral district of St Kilda was one of the inaugural electoral districts of the Victorian Legislative Assembly, abolished on 2 October 1992. St Kilda was one of the initial districts created in the first Victorian Legislative Assembly, 18 ...

in September. In February 1857 he became briefly

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

in succession to

William Stawell Sir William Foster Stawell KCMG (27 June 181512 March 1889) was a British colonial statesman and a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria, Australia. Stawell was the first Attorney-General of Victoria, serving from 1851 to 1856 as an ap ...

. He was then Solicitor-General in the second Haines ministry from April 1857 to March 1858. He was elected for Central Province in May 1858 by one vote and served in the ministry of William Nicholson without portfolio from October 1859 to November 1860. In October 1863 he became

Postmaster-General A Postmaster General, in Anglosphere countries, is the chief executive officer of the postal service of that country, a Ministry (government department), ministerial office responsible for overseeing all other postmasters. The practice of having ...

in the ministry of

James McCulloch Sir James McCulloch, (18 March 1819 – 31 January 1893), British colonial politician, was the fifth Premier of Victoria. Early life McCulloch was born in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland. He was the son of George McCulloch, a quarry master a ...

but withdrew in March 1864. Fellows was also a councillor for

Prahran, Victoria Prahran (), also pronounced colloquially as Pran, is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 5 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Stonnington local government area. Prahran recorded a po ...

from 1861 to 1864 and in 1863 was elected one of the first borough councillors of

Queenscliff, Victoria Queenscliff is a small town on the Bellarine Peninsula in southern Victoria, Australia, south of Swan Bay at the entrance to Port Phillip. It is the administrative centre for the Borough of Queenscliffe. At the , Queenscliff had a population o ...

where he spent his summers. He became mayor of Queenscliff in 1865. In 1866 the Governor, Sir Charles Darling asked Fellows, as leader of the opposition, to form a ministry, but they were unable to agree terms. Fellows was elected for St Kilda again in the 1868 general election and was Minister of Justice in the ministry of

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. He ...

and leader of the government in the Legislative Assembly. In 1870 Fellows became a trustee of the Public Library, Museums and National Gallery and in 1872 he helped to organize the exhibits from Victoria for the 1873 London International Exhibition. He served on a commission to look at accommodation for the branches of the Supreme Court. In December 1872 he became fifth 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 ...

. Also in 1872 he published ''The New Constitution of Victoria''. Fellows died at his home in South Yarra at the age of 55. A plaque to his memory was put up in St. George's Anglican Church, Queenscliff to which he had contributed generously. Fellows Road in Queenscliff was named after him. Fellows' summer house at Queenscliff, Warringah, is listed on the

Victorian Heritage Register The Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) lists places deemed to be of cultural heritage significance to the State of Victoria, Australia. It has statutory weight under the Heritage Act 2017. The Minister for Planning is the responsible Minister. H ...

for both its architectural and historic significance.

References

External links

State Library of Victoria - Portrait
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fellows, Thomas Howard 1822 births 1878 deaths People educated at Eton College English male rowers British male rowers Politicians from Melbourne Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly Members of the Victorian Legislative Council Attorneys-General of the Colony of Victoria Solicitors-General of Victoria People from Rickmansworth Colony of Victoria judges 19th-century Australian politicians English emigrants to colonial Australia