Sir Henry Parkes- Father of Federation, Premier of NSW, Statesman, Visionary, Political Leader, Poet, Humanist Sir Henry Parkes- Father of Federation, Premier of NSW, Statesman, Visionary, Political Leader, Poet, HumanistMay 27, 2015 brings the 200th anniversary of the birth of Sir Henry Parkes. After he died, the London Times described him as 'a colonial colossus.' Henry Parkes received little schooling and worked on a rope-walk, breaking stones, as an ivory and bone turner, ironmonger, labourer and on the wharves before trying business life and ultimately politics. He and his first wife travelled to Australia on an assisted passage. Parkes steadily educated himself, reading voraciously and widely, including all the great poets.There has never been anyone else like Sir Henry Parkes in Australian public life. Not only was he the father of federation. His friends included Thomas Carlyle, fellow poet Lord Tennyson and British Prime Minister Gladstone. He convinced Florence Nightingale to send trained nurses to Australia. He conceived the international rabbit competition which led to the Pasteur affair and put Australia at the forefront of microbiology. He encouraged talented men to enter politics. Yet he shunned the limelight, rarely attending social functions.Whenever he received begging letters, (which he did, daily), Parkes always wrote back enclosing money. No wonder he went bankrupt three times! Yet he was Premier of NSW 5 times, leaving its finances well in the black every time. He married three times, the last time to a 23-year-old beauty. Clearly, Parkes loved women, and they loved him. He encouraged women to attend political meetings, even though they didn't have the vote. NSW Parliament House dining room was managed by a husband and wife; when the husband died, Parliament wanted to fire his widow, but Parkes stood up for her, saying she was perfectly capable of managing the dining room on her own, which she did for years to come. But not everyone loved Sir Henry; he had a long-running feud with poet Henry Lawson's mother after Parkes wouldn't give young Lawson the help she demanded and he constantly wrestled with political aspirants chasing his seat.
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Random House Australia
ISBN-13
9781742757988
eBay Product ID (ePID)
209574651
Product Key Features
Book Title
Sir Henry Parkes: the Australian Colossus
Author
Stephen Dando-Collins
Format
Paperback
Language
English
Topic
Politics, History
Publication Year
2014
Type
Textbook
Genre
Biographies & True Stories
Number of Pages
416 Pages
Dimensions
Item Height
201mm
Item Width
131mm
Item Weight
296g
Additional Product Features
Title_Author
Stephen Dando-Collins
Country/Region of Manufacture
Australia
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