Peter Snodgrass (29 September 1817 – 25 November 1867) was a pastoralist and politician in colonial

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 ...

, a member of the

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

, and later, of 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 ...

. Snodgrass was born in Portugal and arrived at Sydney, New South Wales, with his parents Lieutenant-Colonel

Kenneth Snodgrass Kenneth Snodgrass (1784 – 14 October 1853) was a Scottish-born soldier and colonial administrator. He acted as lieutenant-governor of Van Diemen's Land and governor of New South Wales for brief periods. Early life Snodgrass was born in ...

(later

Lieutenant-Governor of New South Wales The lieutenant-governor of New South Wales is a government position in the state of New South Wales, Australia, acting as a deputy to the governor of New South Wales. The office was first created in October 1786, before the arrival of the First ...

) 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 The Port Phillip District was an administrative division of the Colony of New South Wales from 9 September 1836 until 1 July 1851, when it was separated from New South Wales and became the Colony of Victoria. In September 1836, NSW Colonial Sec ...

, becoming a successful pastoralist 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 William Ryrie (1805—1856) was a Scottish-born Australian pastoralist and pioneer settler colonist of the Braidwood district of New South Wales and the Port Phillip District (now Victoria). Early life William Ryrie was the eldest son of Ste ...

, 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 Sir Redmond Barry (7 June 181323 November 1880), was an Irish-born judge in the Australian colony of Victoria. A major figure in the early civic life of Melbourne, Barry was instrumental in founding several key institutions in the city, in ...

, 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 Decembe ...

and a founding trustee of Scot's Church, Melbourne. Snodgrass was elected a member of the first

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 Janet may refer to: Names * Janet (given name) Surname * Charles Janet (1849–1932), French engineer, inventor and biologist, known for the Left Step periodic table * Jules Janet (1861–1945), French psychologist and psychotherapist * Maur ...

Marian, married Sir William Clarke. Snodgrass died in

South Yarra South Yarra is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 4 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Melbourne and Stonnington local government areas. South Yarra recorded a populati ...

, 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