Henry Parkes

Henry Parkes was married three times. He married Clarinda Varney in 1836 and remained with her until her death.

In 1895 after Eleanor’s death, he married Julia Lynch, whom he remained with until his own death.

Henry Parkes breathed his last on April 27, 1896. He died of natural causes.

Henry Parks was born on May 27, 1815 in Canley, near Coventry in Warwickshire, England in Great Britain. Henry's father was an impoverished tenant farmer. Little is known about Henry's mother, who died in childbirth a few years after Henry's birth.

As a young boy, Henry received little formal education and often worked in order to provide food for his family. At age 17, while working as an apprentice in Birmingham, he joined a political union.

In 1839, Parkes and his wife moved to London. A few weeks later, they boarded a ship to Australia. Their daughter was born on board just two days before landing.

In 1842, a book of poetry written by the skilled writer was published entitled 'Stolen Moments'.

He leveraged money to found three different newspapers. Despite his best efforts, Henry was soon heavily in debt. While the newspapers were operating, he used them to publish more of his poetry as well as editorial columns supporting Australian culture.

In 1854, this eloquent orator ran in a special election for the position of representative of the City of Sydney to the New South Wales parliament. He garnered nearly twice the number of votes as his closest rival.

In 1856, the parliamentarian resigned his seat in protest at the inefficacy of the New South Wales parliament. Despite widespread calls for him to run for re-elected, he refused.

Sir Henry Parkes was the long-time premier of New South Wales and is considered to be the founding father of the Commonwealth of Australia. Though this politician could not live long enough to see the successful implementation of his vision, his contribution towards inception of the Commonwealth is unparalleled.