Members of the Victorian Legislative Council, 1853–1856

Last updated November 20, 2025

This is a list of members of the Victorian Legislative Council , as appointed to the Council of 1853 or elected at the 1853 election (main table). Members added in 1855 are noted in a separate section below.

From 1851 to 1856 the original Legislative Council was unicameral (a single chamber) and consisted of Electoral districts.^[1] From 1856 onwards, the Victorian parliament consisted of two houses, the Victorian Legislative Council (upper house, consisting of Provinces) and the Victorian Legislative Assembly (lower house).^[2]

Victorian Legislative Council districts 1851-1854 Victorian Legislative Council districts 1851.png — Victorian Legislative Council districts 1851–1854

Note the "Term in Office" refers to that members term(s) in the Council, not necessarily for that electorate.

Name	Type	Electoral district^[1] (or Office)	Term in Office
Thomas Turner à Beckett	nominee	—	1852–1856; 1858–1878
Andrew Aldcorn ^[a]	nominee	—	1853
Joseph Anderson	nominee	—	1852–1856
George Annand ^[b]	elected	North Bourke	1853–1855
William Burnley	elected	North Bourke	1853–1856
William Campbell ^[c]	elected	Loddon	1851–1854; 1862–1882
James Cassell	office-bearing nominee	(Collector of Customs)	1853
Hugh Childers ^[d]	office-bearing nominee	(Auditor-General 1852–1853)	1852–1856
Andrew Clarke	office-bearing nominee	(Surveyor General)	1853–1856
George Ward Cole ^[e]	elected	Gipps' Land	1853–1855; 1859–1879
James Cowie ^[f]	elected	Geelong	1853–1854; 1856–1858
James Croke ^[g]	office-bearing nominee	(Solicitor-General)	1852–1854
John Dane ^[h]	elected	South Bourke, Evelyn and Mornington	1853–1854
Edward Nucella Emmett ^[i]	nominee	—	1853
John Fawkner	elected	Talbot, Dalhousie and Anglesey	1851–1869
John Foster ^[j]	office-bearing nominee	(Colonial Secretary)	1853–1854
Adolphus Goldsmith ^[k]	elected	Ripon, Hampden, Grenville & Polwarth	1851–1853
John Goodman	elected	Loddon	1853–1856
James Graham ^[l]	nominee	—	1853–1854; 1867–1886
Augustus Greeves	elected	City of Melbourne	1853–1856
Charles Griffith	elected (nom. 1851–52)	Normanby, Dundas and Follett	1851–1852; 1853–1856
William Haines ^[m]	elected (nom. 1851–52)	Grant	1851–1852; 1853–1856; 1865–1866
James Henty	elected	Portland	1853–1882
Matthew Hervey	elected	Murray	1853–1865
William Highett	nominee	—	1853–1856; 1857–1880
John Hodgson	elected	City of Melbourne	1853–1860
Henry Langlands ^[n]	elected	City of Melbourne	1853
Henry Miller	elected	South Bourke, Evelyn and Mornington	1851–1866
William Mitchell ^[o]	office-bearing nominee	(Chief Commissioner of Police)	1853; 1856–1858; 1859–1884
William Mollison	elected	Talbot, Dalhousie and Anglesey	1853–1856
Francis Murphy	elected	Murray	1851–1853; 1853–1856; 1872–1876
James Murphy ^[p]	elected	City of Melbourne	1853–1855
John Myles	elected	Grant	1852–1856
Mark Nicholson ^[q]	elected	Belfast and Warrnambool	1853–1854
William Nicholson	elected	North Bourke	1852–1856
Patrick O'Brien	elected	Kilmore, Kyneton and Seymour	1853–1856
John O'Shanassy	elected	City of Melbourne	1851–1856; 1868–1874
James Frederick Palmer	elected	Normanby, Dundas and Follett	1851–1870
Edward Stone Parker ^[r]	nominee	—	1853–1854
Robert Pohlman ^[s]	office-bearing nominee	(Master in Equity)	1851–1854; 1855–1856
John Carre Riddell	nominee	—	1852–1856
Andrew Russell	nominee	—	1851–1856
William Rutledge ^[t]	elected	Villiers and Heytesbury	1851–1854
John Smith	elected	City of Melbourne	1851–1856
Peter Snodgrass	elected	Kilmore, Kyneton and Seymour	1851–1856
William Splatt ^[u]	elected	Wimmera	1851–1854
William Stawell	office-bearing nominee	(Attorney-General)	1851–1856
Frederick Stevens ^[v]	elected	Belfast and Warrnambool	1853–1854
James Strachan	elected	Geelong	1851–1866; 1866–1874
Alexander Thomson ^[w]	elected	Geelong	1852–1854
James Thomson ^[x]	elected	Ripon, Hampden, Grenville & Polwarth	1853–1854
Thomas Wilkinson	elected	Portland	1851–1856
George Winter ^[y]	elected	Villiers and Heytesbury	1853–1854
William Wright	office-bearing nominee	(Chief Commissioner of Gold Fields)	1853–1856

^aAldcorn resigned 24 November 1853; replaced by James McCulloch (non-office-bearing nominee) from 1 August 1854^[3]
^bAnnand resigned July 1855; replaced by Thomas Embling, by-election Sep. 1855
^cCampbell resigned May 1854; replaced by Thomas Howard Fellows, by-election Sep. 1854
^dChilders was Auditor-General until 5 December 1853^[4] replaced by Edward Grimes from 8 December 1853.^[5] Childers was Collector of Customs from 5 December 1853
^eCole resigned May 1855; replaced by John King by-election Nov. 1855
^fCowie resigned May 1854, replaced by James Harrison, by-election Nov. 1854
^gCroke resigned January 1854, replaced by Robert Molesworth from 4 January 1854^[6]
^hDane resigned November 1854; replaced by Henry Samuel Chapman, by-election Feb. 1855
ⁱEmmett resigned September 1853; replaced by Andrew Knight on 6 September 1853; Knight resigned 8 March 1854; replaced by Charles Bradshaw on 1 August 1854^[3]
^jFoster resigned December 1854, replaced by William Haines as Colonial Secretary on 12 December 1854^[7]
^kGoldsmith resigned November 1853, replaced by John Thompson Charlton
^lGraham resigned July 1854, replaced by Donald Kennedy from September 1854^[8]
^mHaines resigned Dec. 1854; replaced by Horatio Wills, January 1855
ⁿLanglands was unseated; replaced by successful appealer Frederick James Sargood, Oct. 1853
^oMitchell resigned November 1853, replaced by Charles MacMahon
^pJames Murphy resigned Sep. 1855; replaced by Thomas Rae by-election Nov. 1855
^qNicholson resigned May 1854; replaced by George Horne, by-election Sep. 1854
^rParker resigned August 1854; replaced by Alfred Ross 12 August 1854^[3]
^sPohlman resigned as nominee October 1854, elected for Ripon and Hampden, Grenville and Polwarth, January 1855.
Pohlman replaced by Charles Pasley (Colonial Engineer) in the council on 16 October 1854^[3]
^tRutledge resigned Mar. 1854; replaced by Claud Farie, by-election Apr. 1854, resigned Oct. 1885; replaced by James M. Knight, by-election, Dec. 1855
^uSplatt resigned Apr. 1854; replaced by William Taylor, by-election Sep. 1854
^vStevens resigned Feb. 1854; replaced by Francis Beaver, by-election Mar. 1854
^wAlexander Thomson resigned Aug. 1955; replaced by Alexander Fyfe, by-election Sep. 1854
^xJames Thomson resigned Feb. 1854; replaced by Colin Campbell, by-election 1854
^yWinter resigned Aug. 1854; replaced by William Forlonge, by-election, Oct. 1854

Members from 1855

In 1855, five new electorates were created, a total of eight elected members and one non-office bearing nominee were added to the council.^[9] Nominations took place on 10 November 1855, Humffray and Lalor were elected unopposed.^[10] An office-bearing nominee (Treasurer) was added 28 November 1855.^[11]

Name	Type	Electoral district^[12] / Position	Term in Office
Robert Benson	elected	Sandhurst	1855–1856
Daniel Cameron	elected	Ovens	1855–1856
James Macpherson Grant	elected	Sandhurst	1855–1856
John Basson Humffray	elected	Ballaarat	1855–1856
Peter Lalor	elected	Ballaarat	1855–1856
Duncan Longden	elected	Avoca	1855–1856
John D. Owens	nominee	—	1855–1856
Vincent Pyke	elected	Castlemaine	1855–1856
Charles Sladen	office-bearing nominee	(Treasurer)	1855–1856
James Atkin Wheeler	elected	Castlemaine	1855–1856

References

1 2 "Victorian Electoral Act" (PDF). New South Wales Government. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
↑ Sweetman, Edward (1920). Constitutional Development of Victoria, 1851-6. Whitcombe & Tombs Limited. p. 182. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
1 2 3 4 Sweetman, p.179
↑ "Hugh Culling Eardley Childers". State Government of Victoria. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
↑ "Edward Grimes". State Government of Victoria. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
↑ Statistical register of the State of Victoria, 1908
↑ "William Clark Haines". State Government of Victoria. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
↑ Sweetman, p.176
↑ Sweetman, p.110
↑ "Melbourne". The Sydney Morning Herald. 20 November 1855. p. 2.
↑ Sweetman, p.181
↑ "An Act to further alter "The Victoria Electoral Act of 1851" and to increase the Number of Members of the Legislative Council of Victoria" (PDF). Retrieved 24 June 2013.

"Find a Member". State Government of Victoria. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
Wright, Ray (2001). A Blended House. The Legislative Council of Victoria 1851–1856. Parliament of Victoria.
Labilliere, Francis Peter (1878). "Early History of the Colony of Victoria" . Retrieved 29 July 2014.

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[VEA-1] 1 2 "Victorian Electoral Act" (PDF). New South Wales Government. Retrieved 1 June 2013.

[Sweetman-2] Sweetman, Edward (1920). Constitutional Development of Victoria, 1851-6. Whitcombe & Tombs Limited. p. 182. Retrieved 24 June 2013.

[Sw179-3] 1 2 3 4 Sweetman, p.179

[4] "Hugh Culling Eardley Childers". State Government of Victoria. Retrieved 17 July 2025.

[5] "Edward Grimes". State Government of Victoria. Retrieved 17 July 2025.

[6] Statistical register of the State of Victoria, 1908

[7] "William Clark Haines". State Government of Victoria. Retrieved 17 July 2025.

[8] Sweetman, p.176

[9] Sweetman, p.110

[10] "Melbourne". The Sydney Morning Herald. 20 November 1855. p. 2.

[11] Sweetman, p.181

[12] "An Act to further alter "The Victoria Electoral Act of 1851" and to increase the Number of Members of the Legislative Council of Victoria" (PDF). Retrieved 24 June 2013.

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v t e Members of the Parliament of Victoria
Legislative Assembly	1856–1859 1859–1861 1861–1864 1864–1865 1866–1867 1868–1871 1871–1874 1874–1877 1877–1880 1880–1883 1883–1886 1886–1889 1889–1892 1892–1894 1894–1897 1897–1900 1900–1902 1902–1904 1904–1907 1907–1908 1908–1911 1911–1914 1914–1917 1917–1920 1920–1921 1921–1924 1924–1927 1927–1929 1929–1932 1932–1935 1935–1937 1937–1940 1940–1943 1943–1945 1945–1947 1947–1950 1950–1952 1952–1955 1955–1958 1958–1961 1961–1964 1964–1967 1967–1970 1970–1973 1973–1976 1976–1979 1979–1982 1982–1985 1985–1988 1988–1992 1992–1996 1996–1999 1999–2002 2002–2006 2006–2010 2010–2014 2014–2018 2018–2022 2022–2026
Legislative Council	1851–1853 1853–1856 1856–1858 1858–1860 1860–1862 1862–1864 1864–1866 1866–1868 1868–1870 1870–1872 1872–1874 1874–1876 1876–1878 1878–1880 1880–1882 1882–1884 1884–1886 1886–1888 1888–1890 1890–1892 1892–1895 1895–1896 1896–1898 1898–1900 1900–1901 1901–1902 1902–1904 1904–1907 1907–1910 1910–1913 1913–1916 1916–1919 1919–1922 1922–1925 1925–1928 1928–1931 1931–1934 1934–1937 1937–1940 1940–1943 1943–1946 1946–1949 1949–1952 1952–1955 1955–1958 1958–1961 1961–1964 1964–1967 1967–1970 1970–1973 1973–1976 1976–1979 1979–1982 1982–1985 1985–1988 1988–1992 1992–1996 1996–1999 1999–2002 2002–2006 2006–2010 2010–2014 2014–2018 2018–2022 2022–2026