Henry Parkes (1815–96)

Politician and journalist. Member of the Birmingham Political Union. Emigrated to Sydney, Australia, in 1839. Tide waiter for the New South Wales customs department, 1840–6; worked as an ivory and bone turner and wrote for several newspapers, 1842–50. Founded the Empire, a newspaper that campaigned for self-government in 1850. Elected to the New South Wales legislative council, 1854; served in various positions in the New South Wales legislative assembly, 1854–8. MP for East Sydney, 1859–63; sent to England as commissioner of emigration, 1861–3. Colonial secretary, 1866–8; premier, 1872–5, 1877–83, 1887–91. Author of several works of poetry and prose, including Fifty years in the making of Australian history (1892). Knighted, 1877.