Henry Parkes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Honourable Sir
Henry Parkes
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| 7th Premier of New South Wales | |
| In office 14 May 1872 – 8 February 1875 |
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| Monarch | Victoria |
| Governor | Sir Hercules Robinson |
| Preceded by | Sir James Martin |
| Succeeded by | Sir John Robertson |
| In office 22 March 1877 – 16 August 1877 |
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| Monarch | Victoria |
| Governor | Sir Hercules Robinson |
| Preceded by | Sir John Robertson |
| Succeeded by | Sir John Robertson |
| In office 21 December 1878 – 9 January 1883 |
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| Monarch | Victoria |
| Governor | Sir Hercules Robinson Augustus Loftus |
| Preceded by | James Farnell |
| Succeeded by | Sir Alexander Stuart |
| In office 25 January 1887 – 16 January 1889 |
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| Monarch | Victoria |
| Governor | The Lord Carrington |
| Preceded by | Sir Patrick Jennings |
| Succeeded by | Sir George Dibbs |
| In office 8 March 1889 – 23 October 1891 |
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| Monarch | Victoria |
| Governor | The Lord Carrington The Earl of Jersey |
| Preceded by | Sir George Dibbs |
| Succeeded by | Sir George Dibbs |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 27 May 1815 Coventry, Warwickshire, England |
| Died | 27 April 1896 (aged 80) Sydney, Colony of New South Wales |
| Resting place | Faulconbridge, New South Wales |
| Citizenship | British subject |
| Political party | Free Trade |
| Spouses | Clarinda Varney (m. 1836 – d. 1888) Eleanor Dixon (m. 1889 – d. 1895) Julia Lynch (m. 1895 – 1896; his death) |
| Children | Thomas Clarinda Martha Clarinda Sarah Robert Mary Mary Edith Milton Lily Maria Annie Gertrude Varney Lily Faulconbridge Sydney Kenilworth Aurora Henry Cobden Charles Jessel |
| Profession | Statesman |
Sir Henry Parkes was an important colonial leader in Australia. Many people know him as the "Father of Federation." He served five times as the premier of the Colony of New South Wales. Today, this area is the state of New South Wales in the Commonwealth of Australia. He wanted the separate colonies to unite into one nation. He also worked to build better public schools, expand railways, and stop convict ships from arriving.
Parkes gave a very famous speech called the Tenterfield Oration in 1889. His powerful words encouraged people across the colonies to build a united country. This speech inspired important planning meetings, including the Constitutional Convention in 1891. Although he passed away before Australia united in 1901, his leadership helped make the federation of Australia possible. Leaders like Alfred Deakin praised his clever mind, and major newspapers like The Times called him a commanding political figure.
Contents
Early Life and Growing Up
Henry Parkes was born on 27 May 1815 in Canley, near the city of Coventry in Warwickshire, England. He received an infant baptism in the quiet village of Stoneleigh. His father, Thomas Parkes, was a hardworking tenant farmer who struggled with money. His mother was Martha Falconbridge. Years later, Parkes named his family estate Faulconbridge in her memory.
His family had very little money, so young Henry received very little formal schooling. Instead, he practiced teaching himself by reading as many books as he could find. He loved history, politics, and writing poetry. In 1835, he wrote poems for a young woman named Clarinda Varney. Her father was a local butcher. The couple fell in love and were married on 11 July 1836.
Moving Across the Sea to Australia
Life was tough for the young family in England during the late 1830s. Henry and Clarinda decided to sail across the ocean to find better opportunities in New South Wales. They boarded an immigrant ship named the Strathfieldsaye. The journey was long and stormy, taking several months across rough seas. They finally landed in the busy port of Sydney on 25 July 1839.
When they stepped ashore, they had almost no money left in their pockets. Parkes had only a few coins of British currency. He quickly sold some personal belongings so his family could buy food. He soon found hard work as a farm labourer for John Jamison on the big Regentville estate near Penrith. He earned just £25 a year along with simple food rations.
After working six months in the countryside, Parkes moved back into Sydney. He took jobs in an ironmongery hardware store and in an engineering foundry. A year later, he got a job with the colonial government as a tide waiter in the customs department. His job was to board ships in the harbour to stop illegal smuggling. Colonel John George Nathaniel Gibbes, who managed customs, hired him on a good recommendation.
Writing and Early Business
Working as an inspector gave Parkes a steady income, but he still had old debts to pay. He loved reading and began writing articles and poems. In 1842, he published his first book of poems in Sydney, called Stolen Moments. He made friends with local writers, such as the poet Charles Harpur and newspaper editor William Augustine Duncan. Parkes called these smart writers his chief advisers and teachers.
Parkes left his government job in 1846 after an argument at work. He remained friends with the family of Colonel Gibbes, whose grandson Frederick Jamison Gibbes later joined the Parliament of New South Wales. Parkes opened a small shop in Sydney where he worked as an ivory and bone carver. Soon, his love of writing led him back into the newspaper world.
He wrote articles for The People's Advocate and New South Wales Vindicator. In December 1850, he founded his own newspaper called the Empire. At first it came out weekly, but it soon became a popular daily newspaper. Parkes worked very long hours as editor. However, running a newspaper was very expensive, and he eventually lost his money and had to close it.
Fighting for Better Laws in New South Wales
Parkes cared deeply about how the colony was governed. During the 1840s, people in Sydney wanted more say in their own laws. The New South Wales Legislative Council was reformed in 1843 so colonists could elect some leaders. Parkes believed strongly in universal suffrage, which means giving all adult citizens the legal right to vote. In 1848, he helped politician Robert Lowe run a successful election campaign.
Another big goal for Parkes was stopping the arrival of convict transportation from Britain. Many colonists believed Australia should grow as a free society of working families. On 8 June 1849, Parkes joined a huge public protest at Circular Quay against an incoming convict ship. He wrote powerful articles and gave speeches against the practice until the British government ended convict shipments to the colony in 1853.
He also wrote articles arguing with wealthy leader William Wentworth. Wentworth wanted a parliament that gave special power to rich landholders. Parkes wanted a democratic system where ordinary working people had an equal voice. Governor Charles Augustus FitzRoy faced fierce criticism from Parkes whenever government plans seemed unfair to common citizens.
Joining the Colonial Parliament
Parkes won election to the colony's parliament because people liked his speeches. In May 1856, New South Wales started its first full system of responsible democratic government. Parkes supported free trade, which meant allowing goods to be bought and sold without extra taxes. He also supported programmes to help new settlers move to Australia.
Parkes cared very much about children's learning. He believed every child deserved a fair chance to learn reading, writing, and arithmetic. In 1866, he introduced the famous Public Schools Act. This important law created trained teachers, built government schools, and made schooling available in small country towns. It reduced government money given to private church schools so public schools could grow.
Parkes also worked to improve public health and hospitals. He arranged for trained nurses to travel to Australia from England. These nurses had trained under the famous nurse Florence Nightingale. Their modern nursing methods made colonial hospitals cleaner, safer, and much better at caring for sick patients.
Royal Visit Trouble
In 1868, Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, who was a son of Queen Victoria, visited Sydney on a royal tour. While attending a community picnic, the prince was shot in the back by a man named Henry James O'Farrell. Fortunately, the prince survived the wound. O'Farrell claimed he was connected to an Irish political group called the Fenians.
The attack shocked the entire colony. Parkes spoke out strongly against secret political plots and warned the public about dangerous conspiracies. However, when investigators found no large plot, some people felt Parkes had overreacted. The controversy caused Parkes to lose some political support for a time, but he remained a popular speaker.
Serving as Premier of the Colony
Between 1872 and 1891, Henry Parkes served five separate times as the leader of the colony. In colonial politics, leaders formed alliances rather than giant modern parties, so governments changed frequently. Despite these changes, Parkes was respected for his energy and clear vision.
First and Second Terms as Leader
Parkes became premier for the first time on 14 May 1872, taking over from Sir James Martin. His government worked hard to build new continental rail lines and string telegraph wires across the colony. These new links connected country farmers with city markets. His government also lowered taxes on trade to help business thrive.
His first ministry ended in February 1875 after a dispute with Governor Sir Hercules Robinson. The governor had decided to pardon a famous bushranger named Frank Gardiner. Many politicians felt the bushranger should stay in prison. Parkes and the governor wrote letters to the British Colonial Office to clarify how prisoner pardons should work.
Parkes became premier again for a few months in 1877. During these years, he often competed against his political rival Sir John Robertson. The two leaders took turns leading the government. Parkes was elected to parliament by voters in the Canterbury district.
Third and Fourth Terms
In December 1878, Parkes teamed up with his old rival John Robertson to form a stable government. This partnership lasted more than four years. In the 1880 election, Parkes won his seat representing the St Leonards district. During this time, he worked alongside leaders like James Farnell and was later succeeded by Sir Alexander Stuart.
Parkes became premier again in 1887 after defeating Sir Patrick Jennings. He led the new Free Trade Party. In February 1889, Parkes traveled to help open the new Fairfield Public School in Western Sydney, showing his continuing support for local children. Later that year, his political opponent George Dibbs briefly took power before Parkes won it back.
During these years, the British monarchy honored Parkes for his public service. He was made a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1877. In 1888, he was awarded the high rank of Knight Grand Cross. From then on, people addressed him as Sir Henry Parkes.
The Great Dream of Australian Federation
By the late 1880s, Australia was divided into six separate British colonies. Each colony had its own parliament, its own laws, its own postage stamps, and its own railway track widths. A train traveling from Sydney could not run on Victorian tracks because the rails were different sizes. Even worse, each colony charged taxes on goods arriving across colonial borders.
Parkes realized that dividing the continent into separate pieces hurt trade, defense, and national pride. He believed the colonies needed to join together under one central parliament. He proposed that the united country should be called the Commonwealth of Australia.
The Tenterfield Oration of 1889
On 24 October 1889, Parkes stopped in the northern New South Wales town of Tenterfield. At the local Tenterfield School of Arts, he stood up and delivered one of the most famous speeches in Australian history. This speech is known today as the Tenterfield Oration.
Parkes told the audience that the time had arrived for the six colonies to unite. He said Australians shared one language, one heritage, and one destiny. He urged colonial leaders to meet together and write an Australian constitution. His inspiring words were printed in newspapers across the continent, sparking excitement everywhere for a united nation.
The Conventions of 1890 and 1891
Following his speech, Parkes invited leaders from every colony to meet in Melbourne in early 1890. The delegates agreed that uniting the colonies was necessary. In March 1891, Parkes led the first major Constitutional Convention in Sydney.
At this meeting, colonial leaders wrote the very first draft of the Australian Constitution. Parkes worked alongside future leaders, including Victoria's Alfred Deakin. Although colonial disagreements slowed down the project, the Sydney convention created the strong foundation used to build Australia's federal system a decade later.
Later Years and Creative Writing
Parkes stepped down as premier in October 1891. He remained an independent member of parliament, working hard for federation. In the 1895 election, he ran for the Sydney-King seat against his political rival George Reid. Parkes lost that contest, and after a final by-election for the seat of Waverley, he retired from political life after forty years of public service.
Throughout his busy political life, Parkes loved reading and writing literature. He published books of poetry, including Murmurs of the Stream in 1857, Studies in Rhyme in 1870, and Fragmentary Thoughts in 1889. He also wrote an autobiography titled Fifty Years in the Making of Australian History in 1892. His best-known poems include "The Buried Chief" and "Fatherland".
Parkes never gained great personal wealth. Even though his governments managed colonial budgets carefully, he struggled to manage his personal money. In his final years, he lived quietly at Kenilworth, a house in Annandale. He passed away on 27 April 1896, aged 80. He was buried near his Blue Mountains country home in Faulconbridge. Five years later, on 1 January 1901, the colonies officially united to create the Commonwealth of Australia.
Family and Personal Life
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Sir Henry Parkes had a very large family. His first wife, Clarinda Varney, shared fifty-two years of marriage with him. She passed away in 1888. The couple had twelve children together. Their daughter Clarinda Sarah Parkes was born at sea just before the family arrived in Sydney. Another son, Varney Parkes, grew up to become a successful architect and parliamentarian.
In 1889, Parkes married Eleanor Dixon. They had five children together, including Cobden Parkes, who grew up to become the chief government architect for New South Wales. Eleanor passed away in 1895. Later that year, Parkes married Julia Lynch in Parramatta. Julia helped care for the young children until Parkes passed away in 1896. Lady Julia lived until 1919 in Lewisham, New South Wales.
Places Named in His Honour
Australians remember Sir Henry Parkes as a brave champion of education, fairness, and national unity. Many places, schools, and streets carry his name across the continent:
- Parkes, New South Wales, a thriving farming town in central New South Wales.
- Parkes Observatory, a world-famous radio telescope dish near the town of Parkes.
- Division of Parkes, a large regional voting electorate in the Australian parliament.
- Division of Parkes (1901–1969), an earlier federal electorate in Sydney.
- Parkes, Australian Capital Territory, a national suburb in Canberra where Parliament House stands.
- Parkes Way, a major highway route running through the city of Canberra.
- Parkesbourne, a country community located near Goulburn.
- Parkeston, Western Australia, a railway town situated near Kalgoorlie.
- Canley railway station in England, which displays special Australian decorations celebrating his birthplace.
In 1996, the Australian government placed Sir Henry's portrait on a special one-dollar coin. When Australia celebrated the centenary of federation in 2001, his face appeared on the special commemorative Australian $5 note. A fine oil painting of Parkes by Australian artist Julian Ashton hangs in Sydney's state art collection, ensuring that future generations can learn about the man who helped bring Australia together.
Images for kids
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Sir Henry Parkes and his daughter Miss Annie Parkes in the 1890s
See also
In Spanish: Henry Parkes para niños
- Chief Secretary's Building – The office building Parkes worked in, and helped design and furnish
