Frederick William Haddon
Encyclopedia
Frederick William Haddon (8 February 1839 – 7 March 1906), was an Australian journalist
and newspaper editor.
Haddon was born at Croydon
, England
, the son of Richard Haddon, a schoolmaster and landscape artist, and his wife Mary Caroline, née Wykes. Haddon was educated at private schools and in 1859 became assistant-secretary of the Statistical Society of London and of the Institute of Actuaries
. Haddon resigned these positions in 1863 to accept an engagement with The Argus
, Melbourne
.
Haddon arrived in Melbourne in December 1863 was soon made sub-editor. When the new weekly The Australasian was established in 1864, Haddon became its first editor, and in January 1867 was made editor of The Argus at 27 years of age. It was a period of great developments in Victoria, and under Haddon's editorship the Argus, while distinctly conservative served a most useful purpose in advocating the claims of the primary producers, and endeavouring to keep protective duties within reasonable bounds. It fought with success for non-political control of government departments and purity of administration, with the result that Victoria set a high standard among the colonies in these matters. Richard Twopeny, described The Argus as 'the best daily paper published out of England'. When Graham Berry
and Charles Henry Pearson
went as an embassy to the Parliament of the United Kingdom
in 1879, Haddon, who was visiting England in that year, was asked by some of their opponents to set the facts of the controversy before the "government, parliament and press of Great Britain". He compiled a pamphlet which was printed in London, The Constitutional Difficulty in Victoria. This was sent to all the members of the British parliament and to the press. Haddon also personally interviewed leading statesmen and editors, and probably was a strong influence on the non-success of the mission. There was not really, however, a strong case for British interference.
On his return from Britain, Haddon went back to his editorial chair. He was of a dispassionate nature and set a high standard in the discussion of public matters. The Argus fought well for federation, which had practically become certain when Haddon in 1898 resigned his editorship to take up the important task of representing the Edward Wilson Estate on the management of the Argus and Australasian. Haddon was Melbourne correspondent for The Times
in 1895-1903, and was president of the Victorian Poultry and Kennel Club. Haddon died at Melbourne on 7 March 1906. Haddon was married twice: firstly to Annie Jane King (died 1875) and secondly to Alice Annie Good on 31 January 1883 who survived him with a daughter by the first marriage.
Haddon appreciated good writing and was always ready to encourage it. As an editor, he refused to be affected by popular excitement, and though his paper was on occasions criticized for not taking a stronger stand, he probably did all that could be done when it is remembered how strong the remarkable personality of David Syme
had made The Age
, which for a great part of the period was issued at a lower price than the Argus, and had a much larger circulation.
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and newspaper editor.
Haddon was born at Croydon
Croydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, the son of Richard Haddon, a schoolmaster and landscape artist, and his wife Mary Caroline, née Wykes. Haddon was educated at private schools and in 1859 became assistant-secretary of the Statistical Society of London and of the Institute of Actuaries
Institute of Actuaries
The Institute of Actuaries was one of the two professional which represented actuaries in the United Kingdom . The Institute was based in England, while the other body, the Faculty of Actuaries, was based in Scotland...
. Haddon resigned these positions in 1863 to accept an engagement with The Argus
The Argus (Australia)
The Argus was a morning daily newspaper in Melbourne established in 1846 and closed in 1957. Widely known as a conservative newspaper for most of its history, it adopted a left leaning approach from 1949...
, Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
.
Haddon arrived in Melbourne in December 1863 was soon made sub-editor. When the new weekly The Australasian was established in 1864, Haddon became its first editor, and in January 1867 was made editor of The Argus at 27 years of age. It was a period of great developments in Victoria, and under Haddon's editorship the Argus, while distinctly conservative served a most useful purpose in advocating the claims of the primary producers, and endeavouring to keep protective duties within reasonable bounds. It fought with success for non-political control of government departments and purity of administration, with the result that Victoria set a high standard among the colonies in these matters. Richard Twopeny, described The Argus as 'the best daily paper published out of England'. When Graham Berry
Graham Berry
Sir Graham Berry KCMG , Australian colonial politician, was the 11th Premier of Victoria. He was one of the most Radical and colourful figures in the politics of colonial Victoria, and made the most determined efforts to break the power of the Victorian Legislative Council, the stronghold of the...
and Charles Henry Pearson
Charles Henry Pearson
Charles Henry Pearson was a British-born Australian historian, educationist, politician and journalist. According to John Tregenza, "Pearson was the outstanding intellectual of the Australian colonies...
went as an embassy to the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
in 1879, Haddon, who was visiting England in that year, was asked by some of their opponents to set the facts of the controversy before the "government, parliament and press of Great Britain". He compiled a pamphlet which was printed in London, The Constitutional Difficulty in Victoria. This was sent to all the members of the British parliament and to the press. Haddon also personally interviewed leading statesmen and editors, and probably was a strong influence on the non-success of the mission. There was not really, however, a strong case for British interference.
On his return from Britain, Haddon went back to his editorial chair. He was of a dispassionate nature and set a high standard in the discussion of public matters. The Argus fought well for federation, which had practically become certain when Haddon in 1898 resigned his editorship to take up the important task of representing the Edward Wilson Estate on the management of the Argus and Australasian. Haddon was Melbourne correspondent for The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
in 1895-1903, and was president of the Victorian Poultry and Kennel Club. Haddon died at Melbourne on 7 March 1906. Haddon was married twice: firstly to Annie Jane King (died 1875) and secondly to Alice Annie Good on 31 January 1883 who survived him with a daughter by the first marriage.
Haddon appreciated good writing and was always ready to encourage it. As an editor, he refused to be affected by popular excitement, and though his paper was on occasions criticized for not taking a stronger stand, he probably did all that could be done when it is remembered how strong the remarkable personality of David Syme
David Syme
David Syme was a Scottish-Australian newspaper proprietor of The Age and regarded as "the father of protection in Australia" who had immense influence in the Government of Victoria.-Early life and family:...
had made The Age
The Age
The Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
, which for a great part of the period was issued at a lower price than the Argus, and had a much larger circulation.