Sir Benjamin Benjamin (2 September 1834 – 7 March 1905) was an Australian businessman and politician. He was

mayor of Melbourne This is a list of the mayors and lord mayors of the City of Melbourne, a local government area of Victoria, Australia. Mayors (1842–1902) Lord mayors (1902–1980) The title of "Lord Mayor" was conferred on the position of mayor by Kin ...

between 1887 and 1889, before serving as a member of the

Victorian Legislative Council The Victorian Legislative Council (VLC) is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria, Australia, the lower house being the Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The Legislative C ...

from 1889 to 1892.

Early life and education

Benjamin was born in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbourin ...

, on 2 September 1834 to Moses Benjamin and Catherine Benjamin (''

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth ...

'' Moses). His family left for Australia in 1843 on a boat named ''London''. He was educated in a school run by the Reverend William Jarrett, a Congregational Church minister.

Working life

After leaving school he joined M. Benjamin & Sons, his father's import and export business. In 1864 he and his brother-in-law

Edward Cohen Edward Aaron Cohen (1822 – 13 April 1877) was an Australian merchant and a Victorian colonial politician. He served as Mayor of Melbourne from 1862 to 1863. Early life Cohen was born in London, the son of Henry Cohen and Elizabeth Cohen (''n� ...

went into business together. He retired from active involvement in business in 1878.

Public life

Benjamin was heavily involved in the Melbourne Jewish community acting in various committee positions for the Melbourne Hebrew Congregation. In 1870, he was elected to the

Melbourne City Council The City of Melbourne is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the central city area of Melbourne. In 2018, the city has an area of and had a population of 169,961. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. The ...

in the Albert ward, becoming an Alderman in 1881 and

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...

between 1887 and 1889. He was the second

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

Mayor of Melbourne, with his brother-in-law

preceding him by over twenty years. He became the first Melbourne mayor and first Jewish Australian to receive a knighthood when he was made a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are t ...

in 1889. In 1888, as mayor of Melbourne, Benjamin welcomed the Russian ship ''Rynda'' and

Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia (russian: Александр Михайлович ''Aleksandr Mikhailovich''; 13 April 1866 – 26 February 1933) was a dynast of the Russian Empire, a naval officer, an author, explorer, the brother-in ...

who was visiting the Australian colonies in a goodwill mission in light of tensions between Britain and Russia. Benjamin was elected as a member for the

Melbourne Province Melbourne Province was an electorate of the Victorian Legislative Council (Australia). Melbourne Province was created in 1882 when Central Province was abolished in the redistribution of Provinces. Its area included central Melbourne, Carlton ...

of the

in 1889 and served until 1892.

Imperial Banking Co.

His tenure as a member of the Legislative Council was brought to a close after he was declared bankrupt when the Imperial Banking Co. collapsed. He had offered personal guarantees on the bank's finances. A subsequent court investigation cleared him but his reputation was reduced and he left public life.

Death and legacy

Benjamin died at his home "Canally" at the corner of George and Powlett Streets in

East Melbourne East Melbourne is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Melbourne local government area. East Melbourne recorded a population of 4,896 at the 2021 ...

on 7 March 1905. He was survived by his wife Fanny (''née'' Cohen; c. 1839 – 18 February 1912) and 13 of his 16 children. Lady Benjamin was a sister of Justice Cohen of Sydney. In 2009 a masonic apron believed to have been originally owned by

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who ha ...

and subsequently purchased by Benjamin was auctioned by Michael Bennett-Levy, a descendant of Benjamin.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benjamin, Benjamin 1834 births 1905 deaths Jewish Australian politicians Jewish mayors Politicians from Melbourne Australian justices of the peace Australian Knights Bachelor Members of the Victorian Legislative Council Mayors and Lord Mayors of Melbourne Politicians from London 19th-century Australian politicians English emigrants to colonial Australia People from East Melbourne