Six hungry families

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"Six hungry families" was a phrase used in the 1880s and 1890s to describe six of the most prominent and powerful families in colonial Western Australia. It was first used in 1886 by John Horgan during his unsuccessful campaign for election to the Western Australian Legislative Council. Horgan used the phrase to imply that the families were hungry for more wealth, power, influence and land; and that this was at the expense of the working class. He was later successfully sued for libel by Septimus Burt over the use of the phrase.

The "six hungry families" were:

  • The Leake family;
  • The Stone family;
  • The Lee-Steere family;
  • The Shenton family;
  • The Lefroy family;
  • The Burt family.

[edit] See also

Prominent members of the "six hungry families" included:

[edit] References

  • Stannage, Charles Thomas (1979). The People of Perth: A Social History of Western Australia's Capital City. Perth, Western Australia: Perth City Council. ISBN 0-909994-86-2.