Members of the Victorian Legislative Council, 1856–1858

Members of the Victorian Legislative Council, 1856-1858
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This is a list of members of the Victorian Legislative Council from the elections on 5 August 1856 to the elections of 31 August to 2 October 1858.[1]

The old unicameral, partly nominated Legislative Council was abolished on 20 March 1856.[2] On 7 November 1856 the members of the now bicameral and fully elected Victorian Parliament were published in the Government Gazette.[3] The new Council first met in November 1856.

There were six Electoral Provinces and five members elected to each Province.[4]

VLC Electoral Provinces, 1856–1882
Note the "Term in Office" refers to that members term(s) in the Council, not necessarily for that Province.
Name Province Term in Office
John AllanNorth-Western1856–1858
John Barter BennettSouth1856–1863
William J. T. ClarkeSouth1856–1861; 1863–1870
James CowieSouth-Western1853–1854; 1856–1858
Andrew Cruikshank[a]Western1856–1858
John Pascoe FawknerCentral[4]1851–1869
Nehemiah GuthridgeCentral1856–1858
James Henty [p]South-Western1853–1882
Stephen HentyWestern1856–1870
Matthew HerveyEastern1853–1865
John Hodgson [p]Central1853–1860
John HoodCentral1856–1859
Robert HopeSouth-Western1856–1864; 1867–1874
William Kaye[b]Eastern1856–1857
Donald KennedySouth1854–1864
Dennis KeoghNorth-Western1856–1860
Thomas McCombieSouth1856–1859
Henry Miller [p] [c]Central1851–1866
William MitchellNorth-Western1853; 1856–1858; 1859–1884
James PalmerWestern[4]1851–1870
John PattersonNorth-Western1856–1859
Thomas PowerSouth1856–1864
William RoopeSouth-Western1856–1860
James StewartEastern1856–1863
James Strachan [p]South-Western1851–1866; 1866–1874
Robert ThomsonEastern1856–1863
Daniel TierneyWestern1856–1859
George UrquhartNorth-Western1856–1860
Charles VaughanWestern1856–1864
Benjamin WilliamsEastern1856–1874
a Cruikshank resigned March 1858; replaced by Henry Miller in a by-election May 1858
b Kaye was disqualified for bribery February 1857,[5] replaced by William Highett in a by-election May 1857
c Miller resigned April 1858, replaced by Thomas Howard Fellows in a by-election May 1858
p Previous member of an old district of unicameral Council when it was abolished in March 1856

References

  1. ↑ "Legislative Council Elections since 1856". Parliament of Victoria. Archived from the original on 21 March 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2025.
  2. ↑ Sweetman, Edward (1920). Constitutional Development of Victoria, 1851-6. Whitcombe & Tombs Limited. p. 45. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  3. ↑ Sweetman, p.67
  4. ↑ Sweetman, p.183
  5. ↑ "William Kaye". State Government of Victoria. Retrieved 17 July 2025.