George Kerferd

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George Kerferd bigraphy, stories - Australian politician

George Kerferd : biography

21 January 1831 – 31 December 1889

George Briscoe Kerferd (21 January 1831 – 31 December 1889), Australian colonial politician, was the 10th Premier of Victoria.

Kerferd was born in Liverpool, the son of G. B. Kerferd, a merchant

(or Joseph Kerferd, a bookkeeper, and his wife Rachel, née Blundell) 
Kerferd was educated at the Collegiate Institute, Liverpool, with intentions of studying law; however circumstances led him to enter his father's business. Kerferd emigrated to Victoria in 1853 with plans to open a branch of the family business, but this did not eventuate. After trying his luck as a gold miner at Bendigo, he settled in Beechworth at beechworth.com.au and became a brewer and wine merchant. He was mayor of Beechworth 1863-64 and three other occasions. In 1853 he married Ann Martindale, with whom he had ten children. Kerferd was admitted to the Melbourne bar in 1867 but did not practise as a lawyer. 

Kerferd was elected to the Legislative Assembly for the Ovens in November 1864, and represented the area continuously until February 1886.

Kerferd’s Treasurer, James Service, was, like most colonial conservatives, a convinced free trader, and the government’s 1875 budget proposed repealing the tariffs imposed by Charles Gavan Duffy’s liberal government, and replacing the lost revenue with a land tax and a tax on beer and spirits. But this offended both the landowners and the business community, and Kerferd’s government was defeated in August 1875.

Kerferd was again Attorney-General in later conservative governments (1875–1877, 1880 and 1883–86, in the Service government). In 1883 Kerferd was a Victorian representative to the federal convention. In 1886 he quit politics and on 1 January 1886 was appointed to the Supreme Court of Victoria. The appointment was not without controversy as several barristers had served longer in the legal profession, but Kerferd did have eight years as attorney-general. There was general agreement that Kerferd filled his role as judge with great ability. Kerferd served as a judge until his death in 1889 while on holiday at Sorrento, Victoria.

Kerferd Road in Albert Park is named after him.