Sir Frederic William Eggleston (17 October 1875 – 12 November 1954) was an Australian lawyer, politician, diplomat and writer.

Early life

The eldest son of lawyer John Waterhouse Eggleston and his wife, Emily, his grandfather was the Methodist minister Rev. John Eggleston. His maternal grandparents were also Methodists. His mother died early in his life in 1884 and his father married Ada Crouch in 1887.

Career

Eggleston was on good terms with John Latham and in 1902 founded a group known as the 'Boobooks' with him. Eggleston was elected to the

Victorian Legislative Assembly The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the states and territories of Australia, state lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the state upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament H ...

as the member for Member for St Kilda in 1920 and was appointed

Attorney-General of Victoria The Attorney-General of Victoria, in formal contexts also Attorney-General or Attorney General for Victoria,See, e.g., ''Bullivant v Attorney-General for Victoria''

900 __NOTOC__ Year 900 ( CM) was a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Abbasid Caliphate * Spring – Forces under the Transoxianian emir Isma'il ibn Ahmad are victorious at Balkh (Northern Afghan ...

AC 196; ''Ryan v Attorney General for Victoria'' 967VR 514 is a Mini ...

and

Solicitor-General of Victoria The Solicitor-General of Victoria, known informally as the Solicitor-General, is the state's Second Law Officer and the deputy of the Attorney-General. The Solicitor-General acts alongside the Crown Advocate and Crown Solicitor, and serves as o ...

(19241927) in the government of John Allan. Frederic Eggleston was appointed Australia's first Ambassador to China in 1941. For his role as Chairman of the

Commonwealth Grants Commission The Commonwealth Grants Commission is an Australian independent statutory body that advises the Australian Government on financial assistance to the states and territories of Australia under section 96 of the Australian Constitution. The commis ...

, in the 1941

King's Birthday honours The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the reigning monarch's official birthday in each realm by granting various individuals appointment into national or dynastic orders or the award of decorations and medals. The honours are ...

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 Order of chivalry, orders of chivalry; it is a part of the Orders, decorations, and medals ...

. Eggleston met with British biochemist and Sinologist

Joseph Needham Noel Joseph Terence Montgomery Needham (; 9 December 1900 – 24 March 1995) was a British biochemist, historian of science and sinologist known for his scientific research and writing on the history of Chinese science and technology, initia ...

at chance encounter in a monastery in China. They had lunch with a group that included Chinese monks, three itinerant Tibetan monks, and a "living Buddha".

Later life

At the end of 1952 he published his ''Reflections of an Australian Liberal'' ( F. W. Cheshire). He died in 1954.

References

1875 births 1954 deaths Ambassadors of Australia to China Ambassadors of Australia to the United States Australian legal scholars Australian Methodists Australian Knights Bachelor Australian military personnel of World War I Nationalist Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Victoria Journalists from Melbourne Lawyers from Melbourne Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly Vice-presidents of the Board of Land and Works Mayors of places in Victoria (state) Attorneys-general of Victoria Solicitors-general of Victoria People from Brunswick, Victoria Military personnel from Melbourne University of Melbourne alumni Ministers of railways (Victoria) Ministers for water (Victoria) 20th-century mayors of places in Australia {{Australia-mayor-stub