Frederick Sheppard Grimwade


Frederick Sheppard Grimwade was a businessman and Victorian member of parliament.
Born in Norfolk, England, Grimwade arrived in Victoria in 1863. In 1867 he bought a pharmaceutical company and renamed it Felton Grimwade & Co.; it soon became the largest in the colony, prospering well into the next century. Today some of Australia's largest public companies have a lineage going back to his family and businesses.
Grimwade represented North Yarra Province in the Legislative Council for thirteen years from 1891. He opposed gambling, workers' compensation, old-age pensions and the national harmonization of time zones, but passionately advocated the legalization of cremation.

Legacy

Frederick Grimwade was buried in St Kilda Cemetery on 5 August 1910. His mansion, "Harleston", was later donated by his family to Melbourne Grammar School and renamed Grimwade House. His country retreat at Somers on the Mornington Peninsula, "Coolart", eventually became a public wetlands reserve.
Grimwade's son, Major General Harold Grimwade, served as an artillery officer in France during World War I.