Robert Williams Pohlman (March 1811 – 6 December 1877) was an English-born Australian lawyer and judge. Pohlman was born in London, the son of son of John George Pohlman and Annie Hamilton, ''née'' Williams, his wife . Little is known of his early life, other than that he studied law after finishing school, was admitted as a barrister in England, and as an advocate in

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

in 1839. Pohlman and his younger brother Frederick emigrated to Australia, arriving at

Port Phillip Port Phillip (Kulin languages, Kulin: ''Narm-Narm'') or Port Phillip Bay is a horsehead-shaped bay#Types, enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The bay opens into the Bass Strait via a short, ...

in October 1840. The following year the brothers purchased a portion of Darlington Station near

Kyneton Kyneton ( ) is a town in the Macedon Ranges region of central Victoria, Australia. The Calder Freeway bypasses Kyneton to the north and east. The town has three main streets: Mollison Street, Piper Street and High Street. Piper Street has ...

, north-west of Melbourne, where they ran several thousand sheep. After the creation of the

Supreme Court of New South Wales for the District of Port Phillip The Supreme Court of New South Wales for the District of Port Phillip was an historical division of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, exercising the jurisdiction of that court within the Port Phillip District of New South Wales. It consisted ...

, and the appointment of Justice John Willis as Resident Judge, Pohlman was admitted to the local bar, one of the first six barristers admitted in Port Phillip (along with

Edward Brewster Edward Jones Brewster (c.1812 Has 1812 birth year Has 1813 birth year. – 17 March 1898) was a lawyer and politician in colonial Australia, a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council. Born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1812, and educated fo ...

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 ...

James Croke James Croke (1789 – 10 March 1857) was Solicitor-General of Victoria (Australia) and a politician, a member of the Victorian Legislative Council. Croke was born in County Cork, Ireland, the son of William Croke, a farmer. Croke was educated ...

, Archibald Cuninghame and James Murray). He maintained a private practice for the next five years. Brewster, Cuninghame and Murray did not remain in Port Phillip for long, however, and most of the legal work in Melbourne during this time was performed by Pohlman and Barry, until they were joined later by

William Stawell Sir William Foster Stawell KCMG (27 June 181512 March 1889) was a British colonial statesman and a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria, Australia. Stawell was the first Attorney-General of Victoria, serving from 1851 to 1856 as an ...

, Edward Eyre Williams and Sidney Stephen. Pohlman had a similar background to these other lawyers, and together "they acted as an informal Senior Common Room in the 1840s, dining and socialising together and generally supportive of their own brand of legal manners." However, Pohlman gradually received less work than the other four leaders of the bar. In addition to his private practice, Pohlman was appointed the Commissioner of Insolvent Estates in 1846, and the Master in Equity in July 1851. Pohlman was selected by Lieutenant-Governor La Trobe on 31 October 1851 to fill one of the nominee positions in 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 ...

when that body was created; he was sworn-in in November 1851. He continued as a member until resigning in October 1854, but was elected to the Council for Ripon, Hampden, Grenville and Polwarth at the uni-cameral January 1855 election. He was a candidate for South Western Province at the March 1856 election, but was not elected. Pohlman had a long interest in education. He was the first and only chairman of the Denominational Board of Education from 1848 until 1862, when that body merged with the national board. After the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...

was created in 1853, Pohlman was one of the inaugural members of the University Council. Pohlman was twice an acting judge of 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 ...

, from April 1859 until April 1861, and again from June through December in 1871, while

was absent with illness. In 1869 Pohlman was appointed President of the newly-formed Old Colonists' Association of Victoria, and laid the foundation stone at the Old Colonists' Homes in North Fitzroy on 1 July 1870. A street in the village is named after him. Pohlman died in 1877 at his home in

Punt Road Hoddle Highway is an urban highway in Melbourne linking CityLink and the Eastern Freeway, itself a sub-section of Hoddle Main Road. Both of these names are not widely known to most drivers, as the entire allocation is still best known as by th ...

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

and was buried at

Melbourne General Cemetery The Melbourne General Cemetery is a large (43 hectare) necropolis located north of the city of Melbourne in the suburb of Carlton North. The cemetery is notably the resting place of five Prime Ministers of Australia, more than any other ...

. A street in the Canberra suburb of Latham is also named after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pohlman, Robert Williams 1811 births 1877 deaths Judges of the Supreme Court of Victoria Members of the Victorian Legislative Council Politicians from London British emigrants to the Colony of New South Wales 19th-century Australian politicians