George Kerferd

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George Briscoe Kerferd
George Kerferd
In office
31 July 1874 – 7 August 1875
Preceded by James Francis
Succeeded by Graham Berry
Born 21 January 1831
Liverpool, Lancashire, England
Died 31 December 1889 (aged 58)
Sorrento, Victoria, Australia
Nationality Australian
Spouse Ann Martindale
Religion Anglican

George Briscoe Kerferd (21 January 1831 - 31 December 1899), Australian colonial politician, was the 10th Premier of Victoria. Kerferd was born in Liverpool, the son of a merchant, and was educated there before emigrating to Victoria in 1853. After trying his luck as a gold miner at Bendigo, he settled in Beechworth[1] and became a brewer and wine merchant. He was mayor of Beechworth 1863-64. In 1853 he married Ann Martindale, with whom he had ten children. He was admitted to the Melbourne bar in 1867 but did not practise as a lawyer.

Kerferd was elected to the Legislative Assembly for the Ovens in 1864, and represented the area continuously until 1886. He was Minister for Mines and Vice-President of the Board of Land and Works in the government of James McCulloch 1868, and Solicitor-General 1872-1874 and Attorney-General in 1874 in the government of James Francis. When the Francis government was defeated in July 1874 he succeeded him at the head of a new conservative ministry.

Kerferd's Treasurer, James Service, was, like most colonial conservatives, a convinced free trader, and the government's 1875 budget proposed repealing the tariffs imposed by Charles Gavan Duffy's liberal government, and replacing the lost revenue with a land tax and a tax on beer and spirits. But this offended both the landowners and the business community, and Kerferd's government was defeated in August 1875.

Kerferd was again Attorney-General in later conservative governments (1875-1877, 1880 and 1883-86, in the Service government). In 1886 he quit politics and on 1 January 1886 was appointed to the Supreme Court of Victoria, where he served until his death in 1899. Kerferd Rd in Albert Park is named after him.

[edit] References

  • Geoff Browne, A Biographical Register of the Victorian Parliament, 1900-84, Government Printer, Melbourne, 1985
  • Don Garden, Victoria: A History, Thomas Nelson, Melbourne, 1984
  • Kathleen Thompson and Geoffrey Serle, A Biographical Register of the Victorian Parliament, 1856-1900, Australian National University Press, Canberra, 1972
  • Raymond Wright, A People's Counsel. A History of the Parliament of Victoria, 1856-1990, Oxford University Press, Melbourne, 1992
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Preceded by
James Francis		 Premier of Victoria
1874 – 1875		 Succeeded by
Graham Berry
v • d • e
Premiers of Victoria
Haines  • O'Shanassy  • Nicholson  • Heales  • McCulloch  • Sladen  • MacPherson  • Duffy  • Francis  • Kerferd  • Berry  • Service  • O'Loghlen  • Gillies  • Munro  • Shiels  • Patterson  • Turner  • McLean  • Peacock  • Irvine  • Bent  • Murray  • Watt  • Elmslie  • Bowser  • Lawson  • Prendergast  • Allan  • Hogan  • McPherson  • Argyle  • Dunstan  • Cain Sr  • MacFarlan  • Hollway  • McDonald  • Bolte  • Hamer  • Thompson  • Cain II  • Kirner  • Kennett  • Bracks  • Brumby
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