James Lorimer (Australian politician)
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Sir James Lorimer KCMG |
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|---|---|
| Minister of Defence | |
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In office 18 February 1886 – 6 September 1889 |
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| Premier | Duncan Gillies |
| Preceded by | Frederick Sargood |
| Succeeded by | James Bell |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
30 March 1831 Dumfriesshire, Scotland |
| Died | 6 September 1889 (aged 58) Toorak, Victoria |
| Nationality | British |
| Spouse(s) | Eliza Kenworthy |
| Children | Eleven |
| Residence | Greenwich House, Toorak |
Sir James Lorimer KCMG (30 March 1831 – 6 September 1889) was an Australian politician and businessman. He was the first chairman of the Melbourne Harbour Trust and a Member of the Legislative Council in the Victorian parliament from 1879 to 1889.
Lorimer was born on 30 March 1831 in Dumfriesshire, Scotland, to merchant Thomas Lorimer and Catherine, née Walkin. He was educated at Haddon Hall Academy, and articled to a Liverpool softgoods firm which traded with Africa and America. He travelled to Victoria in 1853 on health advice and chose to stay. He married Eliza Kenworthy, the daughter of the United States consul in Sydney, on 4 March 1858, with whom he raised eleven children, ten of whom survived him.
In 1869 he commissioned architect Leonard Terry to design a large Toorak mansion which he named 'Greenwich House'.
He died of pleurisy on 6 September 1889, leaving an estate of £60,000, and was buried in St Kilda Cemetery.
Lorimer founded a merchant and shipping agency called Lorimer, Mackie & Co., in Victoria representing the White Star Line and later amalgamated with John Swire and Sons of London and Liverpool. He was appointed chairman of the local directors of the Bank of Australasia (succeeding Sir Francis Murphy) and was also a director of the Bank of New South Wales and the Northern and Southern Insurance companies. Lorimer was a member of the Melbourne Chamber of Commerce, and elected vice-president in 1864 and 1867–68 and president in 1868–70. He was a foundation member and first chairman of the Melbourne Harbour Trust supporting Sir John Coode's appointment to provide advice on improving Melbourne's shipping facilities. When the Berry government came to power in 1879, Lorimer was dropped from the Trust but rejoined as a representative for Melbourne merchants and traders.
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