Herbert Basedow

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Herbert Basedow (27 October 1881 – 4 June 1933) was an Australian anthropologist, geologist, politician and explorer.

Basedow was born in Kent Town, South Australia, the youngest son of Martin Peter Friedrich Basedow, who was minister of education in the William Morgan ministry. Herbert Basedow was educated at Prince Alfred College, the School of Mines, Adelaide, and University of Adelaide; he subsequently studied at the universities of Heidelberg, Göttingen, Breslau and Zürich, and graduated M.A., Ph.D., and B.Sc.

Basedow entered the geological department of South Australia and became assistant to the government geologist Henry Yorke Lyell Brown. He accompanied or led several exploratory expeditions, developed an interest in the aborigines, and lived a considerable time among them. After leaving the geological department, Basedow was appointed in 1909 to take charge of the aborigines' department for the Commonwealth government in the Northern Territory. In 1925 he published The Australian Aboriginal, a volume of over 400 pages with many illustrations (reprinted 1929).

In 1927 Basedow stood for Barossa in the South Australian House of Assembly as an independent candidate, was elected head of the poll, and held the seat until 1930. He was again elected for the same constituency in April 1933. He died on 4 June 1933 of peripheral venous thrombosis.

Basedow married Olive Nell, daughter of A. C. Noyes, who survived him. His Knights of the Boomerang, Episodes from a Life Spent Among the Native Tribes of Australia, was published posthumously in 1935, and Basedow was also the author of various pamphlets on anthropology and geology.

[edit] References

Persondata
NAME Basedow, Herbert
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION Australian anthropologist, geologist and explorer
DATE OF BIRTH 27 October 1881
PLACE OF BIRTH Kent Town, South Australia, Australia
DATE OF DEATH 4 June 1933
PLACE OF DEATH Australia