John Creed

Who was John Creed?

John Mildred Creed was an English-born Australian doctor and politician.

Creed was born at Ashbrook, near Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England and educated at Cowley, Gloucestershire and Kingsdown College, Bristol. He migrated with his family to Melbourne in 1861 but returned to England to study medicine and qualified M.R.C.S. from University College, London and L.R.C.P. from University of Edinburgh in 1866. He returned to Australia and was appointed resident physician at the Sydney Infirmary. In 1867 he was appointed medical officer on the Cadell expedition to the Northern Territory. In April 1868 Creed was registered by the New South Wales Medical Board, and he established a practice at Scone and served as a magistrate. Creed represented Upper Hunter in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1872 to 1874.

In 1882 Creed set up practice in the Sydney suburb of Woollahra. He was secretary of the New South Wales branch of the British Medical Association from 1883 to 1886 and its president in 1887 and 1892. In 1885 he was appointed for life to the Legislative Council. He had a significant role in passing legislation to licence medical practitioners, to protect children, to validate marriage and to deal with inebriates. He was a strong opponent of the White Australia Policy.