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Peter Lalor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Peter Fintan Lalor (5 February 1827 - 9 February 1889) was the leader of the Eureka Stockade rebellion, one of Australia's few armed
Lalor was born in Tinakill, County Laois, (then known as Queen's County), Ireland, the son of Patrick Lalor, a landowner and supporter of the abolition of tithes who held a seat in the House of Commons from 1832 to 1835. Trained as a civil engineer at Carlton College and Trinity College, Dublin, he immigrated to Australia in 1852, initially working on the construction of the Melbourne-Geelong railway line but before long joined the Victorian Gold Rush and began mining in the Ovens Valley, and then to Ballarat. Lalor led the miners' opposition to the incompetent and often brutal administration of the mine, and was elected to lead the men of the stockade, in which he was wounded and, ultimately, had his arm amputated. A warrant for Lalor's arrest was initially sought, but he was hidden by supporters until juries had found a number of other miners involved in the stockade not guilty.
The enormous political changes after the Eureka Stockade saw Lalor appointed to the Victorian parliament in 1855. In 1856, under the new, more democratic constitution (featuring near-universal non Aboriginal, non female suffrage) Lalor was elected to the Legislative Assembly (lower house) seat of South Grant, which he was to hold for the rest of his life. He was postmaster-general and minister for trade and customs in the ministry of Sir Graham Berry from 1877 to 1879, and chairman of committees. His most effective political post, however, was probably that of Speaker, which he held from 1880 until 1887, where an illness forced his retirement from that position; he was awarded a retiring pension of 4,000 pounds[citation needed]. Lalor was offered a knighthood, but refused to accept[citation needed].
Lalor married Alicia Dunn in 1854, who died in 1887. After her death, Lalor took leave from Parliament to travel to San Francisco. He died on the 9th of February 1889, survived by his son Joeseph.
The northern Melbourne suburb of Lalor is named for him, as is a federal electorate, the Division of Lalor, and Lalor House in Richmond where he lived.
Lalor was the author of the oath of allegiance used by the miners at the Eureka Stockade which he swore to their affirmation.
"We swear by the Southern Cross to stand truly by each other and fight to defend our rights and liberties" we also will stand to joy and fight to defend.