Peter Snodgrass (29 September 1817 – 25 November 1867) was a pastoralist and politician in colonial Victoria, a member of the Victorian Legislative Council, and later, of the

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

. Snodgrass was born in

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, In recognized minority languages of Portugal: :* mwl, República Pertuesa is a country located on the Iberian Peninsula, in Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Macaronesian ...

and arrived at Sydney,

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, with his parents Lieutenant-Colonel Kenneth Snodgrass (later Lieutenant-Governor of New South Wales) and Janet, ''née'' Wright, in December 1828. In 1838, aged 20, Peter Snodgrass travelled over 600 kilometres south from New South Wales as an overland pioneer to the Port Phillip District, becoming a successful

pastoralist Pastoralist may refer to: * Pastoralism, raising livestock on natural pastures * Pastoral farming, settled farmers who grow crops to feed their livestock * People who keep or raise sheep, sheep farming Sheep farming or sheep husbandry is the r ...

in what became the state of Victoria. On New Year's Day 1840, Snodgrass was involved in a duel with a fellow pastoralist, William Ryrie, which ended farcically after Snodgrass accidentally shot himself in the toe. He was involved in a second duel, in August 1841, with barrister Redmond Barry, during which Snodgrass's pistol again discharged prematurely. On both occasions, Snodgrass's life was spared by the honourable conduct of his opponents, who chose to discharge their pistols harmlessly into the air. Snodgrass was an early member of the

Melbourne Club The Melbourne Club is a private social club established in 1838 and located at 36 Collins Street, Melbourne. The club is a symbol of Australia's British social heritage and was established at a gathering of 23 gentlemen on Saturday, 17 Decemb ...

and a founding trustee of Scot's Church, Melbourne. Snodgrass was elected a member of the first Victorian Legislative Council on 13 September 1851. and held the seat until the original Council was abolished in 1856. Snodgrass was then elected a member of the first

and remained so until his death. In 1846 he married Charlotte Agnes Cotton, daughter of pastoralist and ornithologist John Cotton. Charlotte survived him with six sons and three daughters. One daughter married Major-General F. G. Hughes. The eldest daughter, Janet Marian, married Sir William Clarke. Snodgrass died in South Yarra, Melbourne, Victoria, of a heart aneurism.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Snodgrass, Peter 1817 births 1867 deaths Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly Members of the Victorian Legislative Council 19th-century Australian politicians Australian duellists