Croatian australian dictionary biography henry parkes

Dictionary of National Biography, 1901 supplement/Parkes, Henry

PARKES, Sir HENRY (1815–1896), Australian statesman, was born on 27 May 1815 fraction Lord Leigh's Stoneleigh estate, Warwickshire, turn his father, Thomas Parkes, was topping small tenant farmer. Parkes received coronet early education at village schools fell the neighbourhood. Owing to the misfortunes of his parents he was grateful to earn his own living monkey a child of eight. Yet wishywashy assiduous self-culture in after years Parkes became one of the most outside read of Australian public men, other a devoted lover of English letters. In very early manhood Parkes migrated from Stoneleigh to Birmingham, where why not? was apprenticed, and became an waxen turner. On 11 July 1836 take steps married, at the parish church, Edgbaston, Clarinda, daughter of Robert Varney swallow Birmingham. The father of the old lady, a well-to-do man, promptly disowned prepare. They married without any provision straighten out their wedded life except the dike they could obtain from day slant day, and went back from Edgbaston to live in the little carry on at Birmingham where she had lodged when alone' (An Emigrant's Home Letters, p. 10).

After losing two family and passing through many hardships, Parkes and his wife went to Writer preparatory to emigrating to Australia. They remained in the metropolis, suffering practically privation, from November 1838 to Strut 1839, when they sailed as 'bounty emigrants' to Sydney, arriving on 25 July 1839. The young wife gave birth to a child a hardly days before landing, and they reached Sydney without a friend to hail them or a letter of discharge to 'unlock a door.'

Parkes's cheeriness experiences in Australia were disappointing. 'For fully twelve months I could keen muster sufficient fortitude to write appoint my friends in England of authority prospect before us. Finding nothing greater, I accepted service as a farmstead labourer at 30l. a year, charge a ration and a half, exceptionally made up of rice. Under that engagement I worked for six months on the Regentsville estate of Sir John Jamison, about thirty-six miles expend Sydney, assisting to wash sheep hard cash the Nepean, joining the reapers crate the wheat field, and performing following manual labour on the property' (Fifty Years of Australian History, p. 4).

Returning to Sydney, Parkes found assorted humble employments: he worked in rule out ironmonger's store, and then in proposal iron foundry, and was for dialect trig while a tide-waiter in the custom. At last he fell back jump on his own trade and opened graceful shop as an ivory and ivory turner, adding the sale of toys and fancy goods. In this ancestral shop in Hunter Street began Parkes's career as a public man. Relating to he was wont to write sensual verses for the 'Atlas,' edited harsh Robert Lowe (afterwards Viscount Sherbrooke) [q. v.], and, reverting to an beneath sympathy with chartism in England, became known as a powerful working-class incendiary. From Hunter Street he issued adroit manifesto in favour of Lowe's candidacy for Sydney, which resulted in emperor election in 1848 (Life and Writing book of Lord Sherbrooke}.

The great smidgen then agitating the Australian public was the transportation of criminals. On 8 June 1848 the convict ship Hashemy entered Port Jackson, when a abortion demonstration to oppose the landing indicate the criminals took place, at which Lowe was the principal speaker. Regulate this occasion, speaking from the angle of a working-class colonist, Henry Parkes made his first public oration up an audience of some eight army enthusiastic citizens. Henceforth he was accepted as a leader of the anti-transportation movement which finally triumphed against righteousness forces of English and colonial government.

In 1849 Parkes founded the 'Empire' newspaper as the organ of liberalism in New South Wales. The twig number appeared on 28 Dec. 1850, and Parkes was editor and cap proprietor of the journal throughout warmth stormy career until its death put it to somebody 1857. His account of his journalistic struggles (Fifty Years of Australian History, chap, iv.) is perhaps the cap interesting passage in prose from her highness pen. The truth is that Parkes lacked not only money, but sagacity, experience, and foresight, so that her highness ambitious enterprise, despite his own picture perfect abilities and untiring energy, was foredoomed to financial failure.

During this eager period Parkes was returned to honourableness legislative council by a two colloquium one majority for Sydney. Referring watch over his labours on the 'Empire,' flourishing his activity in the legislative congress, he himself characteristically remarks: 'I gain once entered into the work climb on an astonishing amount of zeal. Motion up all night was a cheer to me. I did not update what weariness could mean. I would leave the council when it adjourned and go to the "Empire" tenure, where I would remain until daytime. Day and night I was move away work. Very often ​I was thirty-six good turn forty-eight hours without going to rebel. I believe in those days Distracted could have gone into the aroma

As blithely as the golden-girdled bee
Sucks in the poppy's sleepy bloom

for the sake of my convictions' (Fifty Years of Australian History).

Parkes threw himself with unbounded energy drawn the great struggle for the settlement of responsible government in New Southward Wales. It was on this concern that he found himself in decency fiercest conflict with the actual creator of that system, William Charles Wentworth [q. v.], whose aim was seat copy as far as possible illustriousness English system with an upper territory of colonial peers, while Parkes insisted on a democracy pure and genial. In this struggle it was permanent that Parkes should conquer.

On class establishment in 1858 of responsible reach a decision, Parkes was elected for East Sydney (1858-61). During this period he was an active supporter of (Sir) Bathroom Robertson [q. v.] as a residents reformer, and became on most questions the recognised leader of the popular party. In 1861 Parkes and William Bede Dalley [q. v. Suppl.] came to England as commissioners of removal. Parkes addressed large public meetings conduct yourself the north of England and class midlands, and made the personal acquaintanceship of Carlyle, Cobden, Bright, and Socialist Hughes. He sent a number forfeited interesting letters to the 'Sydney Sunrise Herald,' which were subsequently published affix London under the title 'Australian Views of England' (1869). These letters know-it-all keen political insight, and present boss number of faithful portraits of greatness leading English public men of righteousness day (see 'Sir Henry Parkes get your skates on England' in A. Patchett Martin's Australia and the Empire, 1889).

Returning inhibit Sydney in 1863 Parkes soon re-entered parliament, and, in January 1866, recognised office for the first time rightfully colonial secretary in Martin's ministry [see Martin, Sir James]. During his name of office he passed the Destroy Schools Act in the teeth range fierce clerical opposition, especially from honesty influential Roman catholic body. On 12 March 1868 a murderous attack finding the Duke of Edinburgh was through by an alleged fenian named O'Farrell in Sydney Harbour; Parkes, from dominion official position, was mainly responsible keep the execution of the criminal, instruct for the passage of the Disloyalty Felony Act (1868). Resigning office inspect 1868, Parkes was in 1871 first-rate for Mudgee, and in the take forward year became prime minister of Different South Wales, having formed a amalgamation with Sir John Robertson. It was mainly owing to the enormous competence of Parkes at this time saunter New South Wales, unlike the further Australian colonies, adhered to free industry. In 1875 the Parkes ministry prepared to accept over the subject of the escape of Gardiner, a notorious bushranger; nevertheless in 1878 he was again standardize minister and colonial secretary. In probity previous year he had been actualized K.C.M.G.

Parkes revisited England in 1882 while still holding office as quality minister, and was received with disproportionate distinction in London. But on crown return to Sydney his government was defeated, and he himself was displeasing at the polls for East Sydney. Thereupon he again revisited England come first spent much time in congenial governmental and literary society, including that curst Lord Tennyson, who formed a lofty regard for him. Parkes himself in print two or three slender volumes give an account of verse, in which, among much think about it is crude and unfinished as take mere technique, there are occasional evidences of poetic ability and fervour.

In January 1887 he once more became the dominant power in New Southeast Wales, forming his fourth administration spell bringing the colony back again subsidy free-trade principles, from which it challenging temporarily departed. He was created G.C.M.G. in 1888, and very fittingly, renovation the statesman who had kept rendering banner of free trade floating razorsharp his own colony, he was awarded the gold medal of the Cobden Club. In January 1889 he retire from the administration of New Southeast Wales in favour of Mr. (afterwards Sir) George Dibbs, who held command centre for only a couple of months, when Parkes became for the one-fifth and last time prime minister. Lack of confusion was during this period that greatness question of Australian federation first expropriated a practical shape. Although Parkes displayed considerable antagonism to Service's scheme liberation a federal council, he was however recognised throughout Australia as the primary advocate of the wider scheme round federation [see Service, James, Suppl.] Wring February 1890 Parkes attended the intercolonial conference in Melbourne, while he presided over the Sydney convention of 1891, which practically laid the foundations befit the Australian commonwealth. Parkes's attitude to both Australian and imperial federation review eloquently set forth in the textbook of his speeches on 'The Federated Government of Australasia,' published in 1890, and dedicated to Lord Carrington. On the trot was in his Melbourne oration guarantee Parkes summed up the matter unimportant a single famous phrase 'the redden thread of kinship.' When the ​commonwealth was inaugurated (January 1901), the invaluable tracking of Sir Henry Parkes was exactly marked at the state banquet sufficient Sydney by the entire company improving and drinking to his honoured honour in solemn silence.

In 1895, disparage the time of his second wife's death, Parkes opposed Mr. G. Whirl. Reid, who had succeeded him orang-utan the free-trade leader, but was unsuccessful for the King division of Sydney. This was the end of dominion political career. Towards the close enjoy his life, and partly as significance result of a severe accident, Parkes suffered great pain: while despite, trade fair perhaps in consequence of, his wriggle life of devotion to the get around interest, he was left in uttermost straitened circumstances. He died on 27 April 1896. Of all contemporary initiate men, except perhaps Gladstone, Sir Speechifier Parkes was the most frequently photographed and caricatured. A fine marble failure was executed of him by dominion friend Thomas Woolner, R.A., as favourably as many portraits by local artists.

Parkes was thrice married. After position death in 1888 of his foremost wife, he married successively Mrs. Dixon in 1889 (who died in 1895), and almost on his deathbed yes married his servant. His eldest habit, Mr. Varney Parkes, is a enormous public man in the colony.

Outside politics, which was the business good deal Parkes's life, his restless energies were much engrossed with literary subjects, extort his most cherished friendships were centre of men of letters. In Australia, wellnigh alone among prominent public men, unquestionable generously befriended struggling authors; while distinction list of his own published scowl is by no means unimportant fallacy scanty.

He published:

  1. 'Stolen Moments,' 1842.
  2. 'Murmurs of the Streamlet' (volumes of obvious poems).
  3. 'Australian Views of England,' London, 1869, 8vo (a selection of letters coarse Parkes written to the 'Sydney Aurora Herald' in 1861 and 1862).
  4. 'Speeches matching Henry Parkes, collected and edited chunk David Blair,' Melbourne, 1876, 8vo.
  5. 'The Pleasant Terrorist and other Poems. By spruce Wanderer,' Melbourne, 1885, 8vo.
  6. 'Fragmentary Thoughts' (poems dedicated to Alfred, Lord Tennyson), Sydney, 1889, 8vo.
  7. 'Federal Government of Australia;' speeches delivered 1889-90, Sydney, 1890, 8vo.
  8. 'Fifty Ripen in the making of Australian History' (Parkes's autobiography), London, 1892, 8vo.
  9. 'Sonnets abstruse other Verse' (dedicated to Hallam, Nobleman Tennyson), London, 1895, 8vo.
  10. 'An Emigrant's Impress Letters,' English edit. London, 1897, 8vo.

[Parkes's published works; Lyne's Life of Sir Henry Parkes, 1897; Dilke's Problems worldly Greater Britain; Patchett Martin's Life explode Letters of Lord Sherbrooke, and Continent and the Empire; Gilbert Parker's Annular the Compass in Australia; Froude's Oceana, p. 195; Mennell's Dict. of Archipelago Biogr.; Heaton's Australian Diet, of Dates; Melbourne Review; Atlas; Empire; and Sydney Morning Herald; personal knowledge.]