David Ham

David Ham (1830–1908) was a gold miner and politician in Victoria, Australia. He was a member of the Victorian Legislative Council from 1886 to 1904.

Early life Ham was born in November 1830, in Cornwall, England.

Victorian enterprises He migrated to Victoria in 1849 and spent two years farming at Indented Head. He then went to the Victorian goldfields, where he amassed a fortune, partly through gold prospecting and partly through establishing businesses such as store keeping, butchering and saw-milling, at various diggings.

In 1861, he settled in Ballarat as a land agent, auctioneer and stock broker.

He was an active member of the Wesleyan Church, in Melbourne, Ballarat and Queenscliff, and was known for his philanthropy.

Politics Hame was elected to the Victorian Legislative Council in 1886 and remained in the Council until its reduction in size in 1904, after which he retired.

Later life Ham died at Queenscliff, Victoria, on 3 January 1908, from pneumonia, as the result of a chill he caught when bathing.