Edmund Ralph Brockman (22 October 1828 – 17 September 1908) was an Australian farmer and politician who was a member of the Legislative Council of

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 ...

on three occasions – from 1878 to 1880, from 1887 to 1889, and from 1890 to 1891. Brockman was born in

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, England, to Frances Elizabeth (née Hamersley) and

William Locke Brockman William Locke Brockman (1802 – 28 November 1872) was an early settler in Western Australia, who became a leading pastoralist and stock breeder, and a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council. Biography Born in Kent, England in 18 ...

. His parents moved to Western Australia when he was an infant, arriving in the

Swan River Colony The Swan River Colony, also known as the Swan River Settlement, or just Swan River, was a British colony established in 1829 on the Swan River, in Western Australia. This initial settlement place on the Swan River was soon named Perth, and it ...

in January 1830 (just months after its establishment). Several members of Brockman's family also became members of parliament – his younger brother, Henry Brockman; his uncle, Edward Hamersley Sr.; and two of his first cousins, Edward Hamersley Jr. and

Samuel Hamersley Samuel Richard Hamersley (1842–1896) was a Western Australian pastoralist, and a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council for six years. Biography Early life Samuel Hamersley was born in Guildford, Western Australia on 12 Octobe ...

. At the age of 18, Brockman took over the management of ''Seabrook'', a property on the Mortlock River which his father had bought for him. He moved to

Herne Hill Herne Hill is a district in South London, approximately four miles from Charing Cross and bordered by Brixton, Camberwell, Dulwich, and Tulse Hill. It sits to the north and east of Brockwell Park and straddles the boundary between the boroughs ...

(on the Swan River) after his father's death in 1872, and in 1875 was elected chairman of the Swan Road Board. He served in the position until 1877, and then again from 1879 to 1883.Edmund Ralph Brockman
– Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 11 June 2016. Prominent in agricultural circles, Brockman was elected to the Legislative Council at an 1878 by-election for the seat of Swan, replacing

Walter Padbury Walter Padbury (22 December 1820 – 18 April 1907) was a British-born Australian pioneer, politician and philanthropist. Early Life Padbury was born in Stonesfield in the English county of Oxfordshire on 22 December 1820. At the age of 1 ...

. He served for just over two years, but was defeated in 1880 by E. T. Hooley. Brockman returned to parliament in June 1887, when he was nominated to the Legislative Council by 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 ...

, Sir

Frederick Broome Sir Frederick Napier Broome (18 November 1842 – 26 November 1896) was a colonial administrator in the British Empire, serving in Natal, Mauritius, Western Australia, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago. The Western Australian towns of Broom ...

. He retired from the Legislative Council in March 1889, but was re-appointed in December 1890, following the council's reconstitution as an

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 ...

(rather than a

unicameral Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one. Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multic ...

chamber). Brockman's final period in parliament lasted for just under a year, as he resigned to accept an

office of profit An office of profit means a position that brings to the person holding it some financial gain, or advantage, or benefit. It may be an office or place of profit if it carries some remuneration, financial advantage, benefit etc. It is a term used in ...

(a government contract to supply hay)."OUR CITY LETTER."
''Eastern Districts Chronicle'' (

York, Western Australia York is the oldest inland town in Western Australia, situated on the Avon River, east of Perth in the Wheatbelt, on Ballardong Nyoongar land,King, A and Parker, E: York, Western Australia's first inland town, Parker Print, 2003 p.3. and is ...

), 19 December 1891. He eventually retired to Kenwick, and died in September 1908, aged 79. Brockman had married Elizabeth Deborah Slade in 1852, with whom he had six children. One of his sons was

Frederick Slade Drake-Brockman Frederick Slade Drake-Brockman, also known as Frederick Slade Brockman, (9 July 1857 – 11 September 1917) was a Surveyor General and explorer of Western Australia. Early life Born at Seabrook near Northam in Western Australia, he was the son ...

, who was a

Surveyor-General of Western Australia The Surveyor General of Western Australia is the person nominally responsible for government surveying in Western Australia. In the early history of Western Australia, the office of surveyor general was one of the most important public offices. ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brockman, Edmund Ralph 1828 births 1908 deaths Australian farmers Settlers of Western Australia English emigrants to colonial Australia Mayors of places in Western Australia Members of the Western Australian Legislative Council People from Kent 19th-century Australian politicians Western Australian local councillors