Adolphus Frederick Rooke (27 April 1814 – 12 December 1881) was an English-born settler in

Van Diemen's Land Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania used by the British during the European exploration of Australia in the 19th century. A British settlement was established in Van Diemen's Land in 1803 before it became a sepa ...

(later

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

) who worked as a brewer and farmer, and was one of the first members elected to the

Tasmanian House of Assembly The House of Assembly, or Lower House, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Tasmania in Australia. The other is the Legislative Council or Upper House. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Hobart. The Assembly has 25 m ...

in 1856. Rooke was born in

Hartford, Cheshire Hartford is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It lies at the intersection of the A559 road and the West Coast Main Line (between Liverpool and Crew ...

in England, and emigrated to the colony of Van Diemen's Land around 1836. Acquiring large land holdings in Deloraine, Rooke concentrated on agriculture, working as a farmer and a brewer. In 1856, he acted on his considerable interest in politics and nominated as a candidate for the first Tasmanian colonial elections. He was elected unopposed as the member for Deloraine, which he held until his retirement in November 1862. In June 1868, he won the seat again but resigned after several months in January 1869. He took a third and final tilt at politics in 1871, holding the seat of

East Devon East Devon is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district in Devon, England. Its council has been based in Honiton since February 2019, and the largest town is Exmouth (with a population of 34,432 at the time of the 2011 census). ...

from September 1871 to September 1872. After leaving politics, Rooke was active in a proposal to construct a railway from Launceston to Deloraine, and was appointed as a director of the project. He was also added to the magisterial roll of the colony in 1869. Rooke died at the age of 67 at his residence, "The Retreat", near Deloraine on 12 December 1881. He had been paralysed for twelve months prior to his death due to a serious accident.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rooke, Adolphus 1814 births 1881 deaths Members of the Tasmanian House of Assembly English emigrants to colonial Australia People from Hartford, Cheshire 19th-century Australian politicians