Frederick Sheppard Grimwade

Who was 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.