George Briscoe Kerferd (21 January 1831 – 31 December 1889),

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

colonial politician, was the 10th

Premier of Victoria The premier of Victoria is the head of government of the state of Victoria in Australia. The premier leads the Cabinet of Victoria and selects its ministers. The premier is appointed by the governor of Victoria, must be a member of the Vic ...

Early life and education

George Briscoe Kerferd was born in

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

, England, the son of G. B. Kerferd, a merchant (or Joseph Kerferd, a bookkeeper, and his wife Rachel, ''née'' Blundell) Kerferd was educated at the Collegiate Institute in Liverpool, with the intention of studying law; however, circumstances led him to enter his father's business.

Career

Kerferd emigrated to

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

in 1853 with plans to open a branch of the family business, but this did not eventuate. After trying his luck as a gold miner at

Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is an Australian city in north-central Victoria. The city is located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2022, Bendigo has a popula ...

, he settled in

Beechworth Beechworth is a town located in the north-east of Victoria, Australia, famous for its major growth during the gold rush days of the mid-1850s. At the , Beechworth had a population of 3,290. Beechworth's many historical buildings are well pr ...

George Biscoe Kerferd
at beechworth.com.au and became a brewer and wine merchant. He was mayor of Beechworth 1863-64 and three other occasions. Kerferd was elected to the Legislative Assembly for the

Ovens file:Double oven.jpg, upA double oven file:Four à céramique - Japan Auréa - 2011-0403- P1070446.JPG, A ceramic oven An oven is a tool that is used to expose materials to a hot environment. Ovens contain a hollow chamber and provide a means o ...

in November 1864, and represented the area continuously until February 1886. He began studying law in 1864 and was Minister of Mines and

Vice-President of the Board of Land and Works The Board of Land and Works was a government authority in Victoria, Australia. It was established by an act of parliament in 1857, with the aim of consolidating and coordinating the administration of public lands and public works. Consequently, ...

in the government of

James McCulloch Sir James McCulloch, (18 March 1819 – 31 January 1893) was a British colonial politician and statesman who served as the fifth premier of Victoria over four non-consecutive terms from 1863 to 1868, 1868 to 1869, 1870 to 1871 and 1875 to 18 ...

1868, and

Solicitor-General A solicitor general is a government official who serves as the chief representative of the government in courtroom proceedings. In systems based on the English common law that have an attorney general or equivalent position, the solicitor general ...

1872–1874, and

Attorney-General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

in 1874 in the government of James Francis. When the Francis government was defeated in July 1874, Kerferd succeeded him at the head of a new conservative ministry. Kerferd's Treasurer,

James Service James Service (27 November 1823 – 12 April 1899), an Australian colonial politician, was the 12th premier of Victoria, Australia. Biography Service was born in Kilwinning, Ayrshire, Scotland, the son of Robert Service. As a young man James ...

, was, like most colonial conservatives, a convinced

free trade Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold Economic liberalism, economically liberal positions, while economic nationalist politica ...

r, and the government's 1875 budget proposed repealing the tariffs imposed by

Charles Gavan Duffy Sir Charles Gavan Duffy, Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, KCMG, His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, PC (12 April 1816 – 9 February 1903), was an Irish poet and journalist (editor of ''The Nation (Irish news ...

's liberal government, and replacing the lost revenue with a

land tax A land value tax (LVT) is a levy on the value of land without regard to buildings, personal property and other improvements upon it. Some economists favor LVT, arguing it does not cause economic inefficiency, and helps reduce economic inequali ...

and a tax on beer and spirits. But this offended both the landowners and the business community, and Kerferd's government was defeated in August 1875. Kerferd was again appointed as Attorney-General in later conservative governments (1875–1877, 1880 and 1883–86, in the Service government). In 1883 Kerferd was a Victorian representative to the federal convention. In 1886, he quit politics and on 1 January 1886 was appointed to the

Supreme Court of Victoria The Supreme Court of Victoria is the highest court in the Australian state of Victoria. Founded in 1852, it is a superior court of common law and equity, with unlimited and inherent jurisdiction within the state. The Supreme Court compri ...

. The appointment was not without controversy as several barristers had served longer in the legal profession, but Kerferd had eight years as attorney-general. There was general agreement that Kerferd filled his role as judge with great ability. Kerferd served as a judge until his death.

Personal life

In 1853 he married Ann Martindale, with whom he had ten children.

Death and legacy

Kerford died in 1889 while on a holiday at

Sorrento, Victoria Sorrento is a town on the Mornington Peninsula approx. 100km south of Melbourne Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, south-west of Melbourne's Melbourne City Centre, Central Business District, located within the Shire of Morn ...

. Kerferd Road in Albert Park is named after him, as is Kerferd Road, later Avenue, in Sorrento. The Kerford Oration has been held in Beechworth each year since 2003, the 150th anniversary of the naming of Beechworth. It is a free community event, sponsored by Indigo Shire,

La Trobe University La Trobe University is a public university, public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. Its main campus is located in the suburb of Bundoora, Victoria, Bundoora. The university was established in 1 ...

, and commercial sponsors.

References

Sources

*Geoff Browne, ''A Biographical Register of the Victorian Parliament, 1900-84'', Government Printer, Melbourne, 1985 *Don Garden, ''Victoria: A History'', Thomas Nelson, Melbourne, 1984 *Kathleen Thompson and Geoffrey Serle, ''A Biographical Register of the Victorian Parliament, 1856-1900'', Australian National University Press, Canberra, 1972 *Raymond Wright, ''A People's Counsel. A History of the Parliament of Victoria, 1856-1990'', Oxford University Press, Melbourne, 1992

External links

Supreme Court of Victoria Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kerferd, George 1831 births 1889 deaths Premiers of Victoria Judges of the Supreme Court of Victoria Australian federationists English emigrants to colonial Australia Victoria (state) state politicians Politicians from Liverpool Attorneys-general of the Colony of Victoria Solicitors-general of Victoria Colony of Victoria judges 19th-century Australian politicians Australian brewers Australian wine and spirit merchants 19th-century Australian businesspeople Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly Vice-presidents of the Board of Land and Works Burials at St Kilda Cemetery Attorneys-general of Victoria Ministers of mines (Victoria)