Charles Sladen

Who was Charles Sladen?

Sir Charles Sladen, KCMG, Australian colonial politician, was the 6th Premier of Victoria.

Sladen was born in England near Walmer, Kent, the second son of John Baker Sladen, deputy-lieutenant of the county. He was educated at Shrewsbury and later at Trinity Hall, Cambridge. In 1840, he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws. He migrated to Australia in 1841, and in February 1842 arrived in the Port Phillip District. He was soon admitted to the Victorian bar, and practised as a solicitor in Geelong until 1854, when he took up farming near Winchelsea. In 1840 he married Harriet Amelia Orton. In 1851-52 he played cricket for Victoria.

In November 1855 Sladen was nominated to the Victorian Legislative Council, and was appointed acting Treasurer. When Victoria gained responsible government in 1856, Sladen was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly as Member for Geelong, and became Treasurer in the ministry of William Haines, a position he held until March 1857. He advocated the creation of a public bank and increased immigration. Sladen did not contest the 1859 election and contested but lost the 1861 election for Geelong East.