Benjamin Cribb
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Benjamin Cribb (7 November 1807 – 11 March 1874) was an Australian businessman and politician. He was an unaligned
Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Following are lists of members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wal ...
for one term in 1858–1859 and a
Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly This is a list of members of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland, the state parliament of Queensland, sorted by parliament. See also * Queensland Legislative Assembly electoral districts This is a list of current and former Electoral dis ...
in 1861–1867 and again in 1870–1873.


Early life

Cribb was born in
Poole Poole () is a coastal town and seaport on the south coast of England in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area in Dorset, England. The town is east of Dorchester, Dorset, Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east ...
, Dorset, England into a rigidly Nonconformist family. He was educated at his mother's
Dame school Dame schools were small, privately run schools for children aged two to five. They emerged in Great Britain and its colonies during the Early modern Britain, early modern period. These schools were taught by a “school dame,” a local woman ...
. Cribb's father, John Galpin Cribb, was a mariner and ship owner, operating to
Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...
and the Mediterranean; young Benjamin and his brother
Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...
sometimes accompanied their father. However, this ended when their father was killed in action during the
Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...
. Following his father's death, Cribb's mother Mary Cribb (née Dirham) apprenticed Benjamin and his brother Robert to two merchants. By 1832 Benjamin and his brother Robert had established baking and retail businesses in London. Influenced by
John Dunmore Lang John Dunmore Lang (25 August 1799 – 8 August 1878) was a Scottish-born Australian Presbyterian minister, writer, historian, politician and activist. He was the first prominent advocate of an independent Australian nation and of Australian rep ...
's description of the opportunities available in Australia, they migrated to
Moreton Bay Moreton Bay is a bay located on the eastern coast of Australia from central Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources. The waters of Moreton Bay are a popular destination for recreational anglers and are ...
on the ''
Chaseley Chaseley is an unincorporated community in southwestern Wells County, North Dakota, United States. It lies along North Dakota Highway 200 southwest of the city of Fessenden, the county seat of Wells County. It formerly had a post office ...
'' arriving in May 1849. Benjamin Cribb was married twice, in 1839 to Elizabeth Bridson (1810—1852) and in 1853 to Clarissa Kendal Foote (1825—1899). Two of his sons
Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...
, and
James James may refer to: People * James (given name) * James (surname) * James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician * James, brother of Jesus * King James (disambiguation), various kings named James * Prince Ja ...
, also served in the Queensland Parliament. His brother Robert Cribb also served in both the New South Wales and Queensland Parliaments.


Business

After arriving in the Moreton Bay colony, Benjamin Cribb established a retail business in
Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...
. In about 1852, he employed
John Clarke Foote John Clarke Foote (1822–1895) was a politician in Queensland, Australia. He was a member of the Queensland Legislative Council. Early life John Clarke Foote was born on 10 July 1822 in Calne, Wiltshire, England, the son of Joseph Foote (a ha ...
as a store manager. In 1853, Benjamin Cribb married Clarissa Foote, the sister of John Clarke Foote. In 1854, Benjamin Cribb and John Clarke Foote went into partnership as
Cribb & Foote Cribb & Foote was a department store in Ipswich, Queensland, Australia, that existed from 1849 until 1985. It was renamed Reid's department store in 1977. Early history Ipswich businessman, Benjamin Cribb opened a drapery store in 1849 and ...
, creating the major department store that stood on the corner of Bell and Brisbane Streets. During the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
he encouraged the growth and export of Australian cotton.


Parliament

On 1 February 1858, Cribb was elected to represent Stanley Boroughs in the
New South Wales Legislative Assembly The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wales Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House ...
at the
1858 Events January–March * January 9 ** Revolt of Rajab Ali: British forces finally defeat Rajab Ali Khan of Chittagong. ** Anson Jones, the last president of the Republic of Texas, commits suicide. * January 14 – Orsini affair: Pi ...
election. He was a strong supporter of the separation of the colony of Queensland and opposed the use of convicts, coolies or Kanaks as cheap labour. He was defeated at the
1859 Events January–March * January 21 – José Mariano Salas (1797–1867) becomes Conservative interim President of Mexico. * January 24 ( O. S.) – Under the rule of Alexandru Ioan Cuza, the provinces of Wallachia and Moldavia are uni ...
election on 11 April 1859. After the
separation of Queensland The Separation of Queensland was an event in 1859 in which the land that forms the present-day state of Queensland in Australia was excised from the Colony of New South Wales and proclaimed as a separate crown colony. History European settlemen ...
, he was elected to its Legislative Assembly. On 3 April 1861,
George Thorn (senior) George Thorn (senior) (11 April 1806 – 28 April 1876) was a politician in Queensland, Australia. He was a Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly. He was known as the ''"father of Ipswich"'' for his contributions to establishing tha ...
, member for
West Moreton West Moreton is a region of the Australian state of Queensland, consisting of the entire rural western portion of South East Queensland. It sits inland from both the Brisbane metropolitan area and the Gold Coast and to the east of the Darling D ...
, resigned. Benjamin Cribb won the resulting by-election on 26 April 1861. He held the seat until 2 July 1867. He was elected in the seat of
Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...
on 12 August 1870 and held it until 14 November 1873. He did not hold ministerial or parliamentary office.


Later life

Benjamin Cribb died on 11 March 1874 at his home Gooloowan in Denmark Hill, Ipswich. He was attending divine service at his local
Congregational Church Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice congregational government. Each congregation independently a ...
when he collapsed. Relatives and friends carried him home on a stretcher where he died a few moments later. His death was attributed to
apoplexy Apoplexy () refers to the rupture of an internal organ and the associated symptoms. Informally or metaphorically, the term ''apoplexy'' is associated with being furious, especially as "apoplectic". Historically, it described what is now known as a ...
of the brain. His funeral was held on 13 March 1874 where a funeral procession, one-and-a-half miles long, travelled from his home to the
Ipswich General Cemetery The Ipswich General Cemetery is a historic cemetery in Ipswich, Queensland, Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. It is the second oldest cemetery in Queensland. It is owned by Ipswich City Council, but the council have outsourced the day-to-day oper ...
. Present were relatives, employees, politicians and many others. Many businesses were closed for the day.


Legacy

His home Gooloowan is listed on the
Queensland Heritage Register The Queensland Heritage Register is a heritage register, a statutory list of places in Queensland, Australia that are protected by Queensland legislation, the Queensland Heritage Act 1992. It is maintained by the Queensland Heritage Council. As ...
.


See also

* Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, 1858–1859 *
Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly, 1860–1863 This is a list of members of the 1st Legislative Assembly of Queensland from 1860 to 1863, as elected at the inaugural 1860 colonial elections held between 27 April 1860 to 11 May 1860 (due to problems of distance and communications, it was not ...
; 1863–1867; 1870–1871; 1871–1873


References

  {{DEFAULTSORT:Cribb, Benjamin 1807 births 1874 deaths Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly Burials at Ipswich General Cemetery Colony of New South Wales politicians Pre-Separation Queensland English emigrants to colonial Australia