Benjamin Benjamin

Benjamin was born in London, Middlesex, on 2 September 1834 to Moses Benjamin and Catherine Benjamin (née Moses). His family left for the Colony of New South Wales in 1843 on a boat named London. He was educated in a school run by the Reverend William Jarrett, a Congregational Church minister.{{cite book |author=Solomon |first=Geulah |url= |title=Australian Dictionary of Biography |publisher=Australian National University |chapter=Sir Benjamin Benjamin (1834–1905) |access-date=13 October 2012 |chapter-url=http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/benjamin-sir-benjamin-2972}}

After leaving school he joined M. Benjamin & Sons, his father's import and export business. In 1864 he and his brother-in-law Edward Cohen went into business together.{{cite book |author=Solomon, Geulah |title=Cohen, Edward (1822–1877) |publisher=Australian National University |chapter=Cohen, Edward Aaron (1822–1877) |access-date=13 October 2012 |chapter-url=http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/cohen-edward-aaron-3241}} He retired from active involvement in business in 1878.

Benjamin was heavily involved in the Melbourne Jewish community acting in various committee positions for the Melbourne Hebrew Congregation.{{cite web |url=http://www.melbournesynagogue.org.au/Templates/History_GrowingCongregation.html |title=A growing congregation |author= |publisher=Melbourne Hebrew Congregation |access-date=4 February 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091018070606/http://www.melbournesynagogue.org.au/Templates/History_GrowingCongregation.html |archive-date=18 October 2009 |df=dmy-all }}

In 1870, he was elected to the Melbourne City Council{{cite Australasia|Benjamin, Hon. Sir Benjamin}} in the Albert ward, becoming an Alderman in 1881,{{Cn|date=February 2025}} and Mayor from 1887 to 1889.{{Cite book |title=The Australian People: An Encyclopedia of the Nation, Its People and Their Origins |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2001 |isbn=0521807891 |edition=2001 Hardback |pages=530 |language=en}} He was the second Jewish Mayor of Melbourne, with his brother-in-law Edward Cohen preceding him by over twenty years. He became the first Melbourne mayor and first Jewish Australian to receive a knighthood when he was made a Knight Bachelor in 1889.

In 1888, as mayor of Melbourne, Benjamin welcomed the Russian ship Rynda and Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia who was visiting the Australian colonies in a goodwill mission in light of tensions between Britain and Russia.{{cite web|url=http://www.argo.net.au/andre/ryndaENFIN.htm |title="Rynda" v gostiakh u avstraliitsev (k 110-letiyu vizita v Avstraliyu) |last=Govor |first=Elena |author2=Massov, Alexander |year=1988 |publisher=Avstraliada |access-date=9 April 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081120035039/http://www.argo.net.au/andre/ryndaENFIN.htm |archive-date=20 November 2008 |df=dmy }}

Benjamin was elected as a member for the Melbourne Province of the Victorian Legislative Council in 1889 and served until 1892.{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/re-member/bioregfull.cfm?mid=215 |title=Benjamin, Sir Benjamin |author= |work=re-member |publisher=Parliament of Victoria |access-date=5 February 2010}}

His tenure as a member of the Legislative Council was brought to a close after he was declared bankrupt when the Imperial Banking Co. collapsed. He had offered personal guarantees on the bank's finances.{{cite book|last=Cannon|first=Michael|title=The Land Boomers: The Complete Illustrated History |publisher=Melbourne Univ. Publishing|year=1995|pages=203–210|chapter=Sir Benjamin Benjamin and the Imperial Bank|isbn=0-522-84663-7}} A subsequent court investigation cleared him but his reputation was reduced and he left public life.{{cite web |url=http://news.anu.edu.au/?p=1913 |title=Life sentences |author=Nolan, Melanie |date=Autumn 2010 |work=ANU News |publisher=Australian National University |access-date=4 February 2010}}

Benjamin died at his home "Canally" at the corner of George and Powlett Streets in East Melbourne{{cite web|url=https://whatson.melbourne.vic.gov.au/visitors/Documents/Melbourne_ElegantEnclaves.pdf|title=Melbourne Walks: Elegant Enclave|author=|first=|date=|work=City of Melbourne What's On|publisher=|archive-url=|archive-date=|url-status=|access-date=4 April 2019|df=dmy-all}} on 7 March 1905. He was survived by his wife Fanny (née Cohen; c. 1839 – 18 February 1912) and 13 of his 16 children. Lady Benjamin was a sister of Justice Cohen of Sydney.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article147337058 |title=Obituary, Lady Benjamin |newspaper=Jewish Herald |location=Victoria |date=1 March 1912 |access-date=26 December 2015 |page=11 |via=National Library of Australia}}

In 2009 a masonic apron believed to have been originally owned by Robert Burns and subsequently purchased by Benjamin was auctioned by Michael Bennett-Levy, a descendant of Benjamin.{{cite news|url=http://www.ayrshirepost.net/ayrshire-news/local-news-ayrshire/ayr-news/2009/09/25/robert-burns-masonic-apron-for-sale-102545-24756549/|title=Robert Burns' Masonic apron for sale|last=McInnes|first=Yonnie|date=25 September 2009|publisher=Ayrshire Post|access-date=5 February 2010}}

{{Reflist}}

{{JewishEncyclopedia|article=Benjamin, Sir Benjamin|url=http://jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?letter=B&artid=722|author=Joseph Jacobs and Goodman Lipkind}}

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Category:1834 births

Category:1905 deaths

Category:Jewish Australian politicians

Category:Jewish mayors

Category:People from the Colony of Victoria

Category:Politicians from Melbourne

Category:Australian justices of the peace

Category:Australian Knights Bachelor

Category:Members of the Victorian Legislative Council

Category:Mayors and lord mayors of Melbourne

Category:Politicians from London

Category:19th-century mayors of places in Australia

Category:British emigrants to the Colony of New South Wales

Category:People from East Melbourne