Joseph Henry Abbott

Joseph Henry Abbott (1 February 1830 – 10 November 1904) was an Australian Politician, serving as a member of the Victorian Legislative Council for the Northern Province and Bendigo Province electorates. He served in the executive Council of Victoria as a minister without office from 23 January 1893 to 27 September 1894 under the Patterson Government.

Early life and career Joseph Henry Abbott was born 1 February 1830 in Birmingham, England to Mary Ann Abbott (née Signet) and Joseph Abbott. He studied at King Edward Free Grammar School in Birmingham up until age 12 when he left to work for his father who was a millwright. At age 21 he sailed in the Earl of Derby to Melbourne upon news of the Victorian gold rush. He arrived at Cole's wharf on 17 November 1852.

Once in Victoria Abbott settled in the Forest Creek area and mined for gold successfully near Moonlight Flat and Wesley Hill. In early 1853, Abbott opened a general store two friends and combined their business with mining activities. The following year they built a puddling machine to process gold-bearing clay. Around this time, Abbott, alongside Ebenezer Syme and George Edward Thomson started the newspaper the Diggers Advocate which was a strong opponent against the cost of mining permits. Abbott was a reporter for the paper based in Bendigo. The paper ran for two years.

In 1883, Abbott represented Victoria in the Amsterdam Exhibition and the Royal Agricultural Show in 1894.

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