AustLit

Sir Frederick William Holder was ‘educated initially by his father, later at state schools, then at the Collegiate School of St Peter, Adelaide. He ... became a teacher, first at Prince Alfred College, then at Freeling. In August 1875 he was made headmaster of the Kooringa Public School at Burra Burra’.

Holder went on to become ‘manager of a Burra store, town clerk and first managing editor of the newly established Burra Record, of which he was later proprietor. He had already been active in the Burra Parliamentary Club and in the Record developed ideas on government at both the colonial and local level.’

Holder was elected to political office at several levels, beginning as mayor of Burra, then senior member for Burra in the South Australian House of Assembly, and, eventually, premier and treasurer of South Australia. Following Federation, Holder was elected to the national parliament and became the first Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The Australian Dictionary of Biography records that at ‘about 6 a.m. on 23 July 1909, when the House was in committee after a stormy all-night sitting, Holder ... fell insensible to the floor of the House. He died that afternoon from cerebral haemorrhage without recovering consciousnesses.'

Holder’s name is commemorated by the south Canberra suburb of Holder.

Major source: Ralph Harry, 'Holder, Sir Frederick William (1850–1909)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/holder-sir-frederick-william-6706/text11575

Sighted: 08/08/2013