John Foster (Australian politician)

John Leslie Fitzgerald Vesey Foster (19 August 1818 – 3 January 1900), also known as John Leslie Foster-Vesey-Fitzgerald, was a politician in colonial New South Wales and Victoria (Australia).

Foster was the second son of the Hon. John Leslie Foster, Baron of the Court of Exchequer in Ireland, and sometime M.P. for County Louth and Dublin University, by his marriage with the Hon. Letitia Vesey Fitzgerald, sister of William, 2nd Baron Fitzgerald and Vesci. The families of Foster and Fitzgerald have been for generations distinguished in the Church and politics of Ireland, as well as at the bar and in the judicial arena; Mr. Foster's paternal grandfather having been Bishop of Clogher, and his great-grandfather the Right Hon. Anthony Foster, Lord Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer.

Foster, was born in Dublin, Ireland, was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, where he graduated B.A. in 1839 with honours, and became a student for the bar, but abandoned the legal profession in favour of a colonial career. The colony of Victoria, then only the Port Phillip District of New South Wales, was his choice, and he landed there on 28 March 1841. At first he devoted himself to pastoral and agricultural pursuits.

In June 1846 Foster was elected as representative of Port Phillip in the New South Wales Legislative Council, and in July 1848 again came forward for election as one of the six members allotted to Port Phillip. The feeling was, however, so strong that this so-called representation was a mere farce, that the majority were desirous not to elect any more members until separation was secured. In deference to the protests of this party Foster's nomination was withdrawn, but a few days later he was put up as a candidate for the Town of Melbourne, when the non-election party nominated Earl Grey, the Secretary of State for the Colonies, in opposition to him, in the hope that his election would call public attention in England to the grievances of which the colonists complained. In the result Earl Grey was returned by a large majority, and Foster on a subsequent occasion declined to stand. Ultimately, however, he was elected on 1 June 1849, to sit in the Sydney Parliament till he left for Ireland in 1850.

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