Graham Berry
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Sir Graham Berry KCMG |
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| 11th Premier of Victoria | |
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In office 7 August 1875 – 20 October 1875 |
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| Constituency | Geelong West (1869–77) |
| Preceded by | George Kerferd |
| Succeeded by | James McCulloch |
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In office 21 May 1877 – 5 March 1880 |
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| Preceded by | James McCulloch |
| Succeeded by | James Service |
| Constituency | Geelong (1877–86) |
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In office 3 August 1880 – 9 July 1881 |
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| Preceded by | James Service |
| Succeeded by | Bryan O'Loghlen |
| Constituency | Geelong |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 28 August 1822 London, England |
| Died | 25 January 1904 (aged 81) Victoria, Australia |
| Nationality | British subject |
| Spouse(s) | Harriet Ann Bencowe and Rebecca Evans |
| Religion | Anglican |
Sir Graham Berry, KCMG (28 August 1822 – 25 January 1904),Australian colonial politician, was the 11th Premier of Victoria. He was one of the most radical and colourful figures in the politics of colonial Victoria, and made the most determined efforts to break the power of the Victorian Legislative Council, the stronghold of the landowning class.
Berry was born in Twickenham, near London, where his father, Benjamin Berry, was a licensed victualler. He had a primary education until 11 years old, then became an apprentice draper. In 1848 he married Harriet Ann Blencowe, with whom he had eleven children.
In 1852 he migrated to Victoria, and went into business as a grocer in Prahran, then as a general storekeeper in South Yarra. His business skills and Victoria's booming economy soon made him a wealthy man. After his first wife's death he married Rebekah Evans in 1871; the couple had seven children of their own. At his death, Berry was survived by eight of the children from his first marriage and all seven of the children from his second marriage.
In Victoria, Berry, by voracious reading, acquired the education he had missed in England, and taught himself economics, literature and philosophy. But all his life he retained a broad London accent, which many Victorian conservatives found offensive or amusing. In Parliament he once asked the Speaker: "What is now before the 'Ouse?" To which the Leader of the Opposition interjected: "An H!" He developed a powerful rhetorical style modelled on that of his hero Gladstone, equally effective in the rough-house of the colonial Parliament or on the hustings. The conservative newspaper The Argus conceded: "His oratory might not be polished: it certainly was not—but it was passionate, and it told." Noted for his humour, Berry was nevertheless a tough and determined politician.
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Wikipedia