Edward Fitzgerald ( 1824 – 19 March 1890) was an Australian brewer and solicitor. He was the founder of the

Castlemaine Brewery The Castlemaine Brewery was an Australian brewery and brewing company established in 1857 by Edward Fitzgerald. He was joined in the business by his brother Nicholas Fitzgerald in 1859, after which the firm spread rapidly, opening breweries in ...

, which went on to have significant operations in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. Fitzgerald was born in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, the son of a brewer, was educated at

Trinity College, Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Univ ...

and became a solicitor in

. He migrated to Victoria as a result of the

Victorian gold rush The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia, approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. It led to a period of extreme prosperity for the Australian colony and an influx of population growth and financial capi ...

, had an unsuccessful stint as a miner at Moonlight Flat, near Castlemaine, and then practised as a solicitor in Castlemaine. While practicing as a solicitor there, he established the Castlemaine Brewery in 1857. His brother, Nicholas Fitzgerald, followed him to Victoria and joined him in the business in 1859. The Castlemaine Brewery became highly successful, opening breweries in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

and

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

, each of which was later floated as a separate company, as well as breweries at Daylesford and Newbridge. He continued to hold interests in the various breweries, invested in mining companies, and was a

Borough of Castlemaine The City of Castlemaine was a Local government in Australia, local government area about north-northwest of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, and south of the regional city of Bendigo, Victoria, Bendigo ...

councillor and trustee of St Mary's Orphanage. Fitzgerald died on 19 March 1890 at his home, ''Ardmore'', at

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

. He had been severely injured some time before when he tripped on the staircase at the Athenaeum Club in Melbourne and fell twenty feet, never recovering from his injuries. A large funeral was held at Castlemaine and he was buried at the cemetery at Campbells Creek. A stained glass window in his memory was erected in St Mary's Catholic Church, Castlemaine.

References

1890 deaths Australian people of Irish descent 1820s births Australian brewers {{Australia-bio-stub