Robert Reid (Australian politician, born 1842)

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The Honourable Robert Reid


Senator for Victoria
In office 21 January 1903 – 31 December 1903
Preceded by	Sir Frederick Sargood

Personal details
Born	(1842-10-18)18 October 1842 Leven, Fife, Scotland
Died	12 May 1904(1904-05-12) (aged 61) London, England
Nationality	Scottish Australian
Political party	Free Trade Party
Spouse	Mary Jane Clancy
Children	at least 10
Occupation	Businessman

Robert Reid (18 October 1842 – 12 May 1904)^[1]^[2] was a Scottish-born Australian politician. Born in Leven, Fife, he migrated to Australia, arriving in Hobson's Bay on the Ralph Waller from Liverpool on 7 April 1855, the ship having struck an iceberg near the Island of Desolation. He worked in the retail trade before becoming a businessman.

In 1891, after the death of Nunn, co-owner with Buckley of Buckley & Nunn store, Reid bought the business and sold it on in London in 1892 for £300,000 (equivalent to $48,689,000 in 2022).^[3]

In October 1892 Reid was elected to the Victorian Legislative Council for Melbourne Province as a Free Trader, becoming Minister for Defence and Minister for Health.^[1] Reid lost his ministerial positions in 1894, but was re-created Minister for Health and also Minister of Public Instruction in 1902. On 21 January 1903, he was appointed to the Australian Senate for Victoria to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Senator Sir Frederick Sargood.^[4]

Reid did not contest the 1903 election, and died in 1904 on a visit to London.^[5] He is buried in Hampstead Cemetery.^[2]

Reid was survived by his wife, four sons and six daughters. His sons continued the family business. His daughter Isabelle was a veterinary surgeon.^[6] She established a practice in Balwyn, Victoria close to the family home.

References

^ ^a ^b "Reid, Robert". Re-Member: a database of all Victorian MPs since 1851. Parliament of Victoria. Archived from the original on 23 April 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
^ ^a ^b Steven, Margaret (1988). "Reid, Robert (1842–1904)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 11. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
^ "Death of Mr Mars Buckley". The Argus. 11 October 1905. p. 7. Retrieved 19 January 2012 – via Trove.
^ McKinley, John (2000). "REID, Robert (1842–1904) Senator for Victoria, 1903". The Biographical Dictionary of the Australian Senate. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
^ Carr, Adam (2008). "Australian Election Archive". Psephos, Adam Carr's Election Archive. Retrieved 11 November 2008.
^ Wirth, Hugh J. (2002). "Reid, Isabelle Bruce (Belle) (1883–1945)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 16. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 30 December 2014.

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