Augustus Frederick Adolphus Greeves (1806 - 1874)

Born 7 Sep 1806 in Harrogate, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom

Died 23 May 1874 at age 67 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

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Biography

A twin, Augustus was born 7 Sep 1806, Harrogate, Yorkshire, England, son of John Greeves, merchant, and his first wife, Mary Raper. Baptised 12 Jan 1809, Christ Church, Harrogate, West Riding Yorkshire, England. ^[1]

He studied medicine at Edinburgh (L.R.C.S., 1827) and in England (M.R.C.S., 1828) and practised at Knaresborough and Harrowgate.

In 1840 he migrated to Port Phillip in the Lord Goderich. Greeves was one of the surgeons who performed the first local operation with chloroform in 1848 but he had other interests besides his medical practice.

In 1841 he had become proprietor of the British Hotel and later the Yarra Steam Packet Hotel on Queen's Wharf. He was vice-president of the Debating Society and a founding member of the Australia Felix Lodge of the Independent Order of Oddfellows.

In November 1843 he was elected to the Melbourne corporation and became an alderman in 1846 and mayor in 1849. Prominent in local politics, he was active in the Port Phillip separation movement, in drafting petitions to the Colonial Office and in 1848 supporting the movement for the recall of Superintendent Charles La Trobe and the election of Earl Grey as a Port Phillip representative in the New South Wales Legislative Council. Greeves was a member of the Victorian Legislative Council in 1853-56.

As a Conservative he had opposed the secret ballot and supported high property qualifications, and was often accused of political opportunism.

He died aged 69 at his home in Swanston Street on 23 May 1874, survived by his wife Elizabeth, née Milner. He was buried in the Melbourne general cemetery.

Sources

1. ↑ https://www.freereg.org.uk/search_records/5817b385e93790eca3b9b404/augustus-frederic-greeves-baptism-yorkshire-west-riding-harrogate-1809-01-12?locale=en
   Parish Register, Christ Church, Harrogate, West Riding Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom
   Birth: 7 Sep 1806; Christening: 12 Jan 1809; Augustus Frederic and George Paul twin sons of John and Mary Greeves

• https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/greeves-augustus-frederick-3662
• https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/component/fabrik/details/24/535?Itemid=
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus_Greeves