Robert Beckett was an English

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...

-born Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n politician.

Early life

He arrived in 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...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 in 1867 aged five, and settled with his family in Surrey Hills, Victoria

Surrey Hills, Victoria

Surrey Hills is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 12 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area lies within the cities of Boroondara and Whitehorse...

.

His father died when he was ten, after which he assumed the role of father in his family.

He initially worked for a printer while continuing his studies, qualifying as a solicitor in his late twenties. Joseph Hood (of Malleson, England & Stewart) secured him articles with Abbott & Eales.

Beckett married Ethel Anna Wells in Sydney

Sydney

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

, New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

 on 30 April 1903.

Political career

Becket was a Boroondara shire Councillor from 1892 to 1902, Camberwell shire councillor from 1902 to 1905 and mayor from 1907 to 1908.

Beckett was elected to the Victorian Legislative Council

Victorian Legislative Council

The Victorian Legislative Council, is the upper of the two houses of the Parliament of Victoria, Australia; the lower house being the Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit in Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The Legislative Council serves as a house of review, in a similar fashion to...

 representing East Yarra as a Non-Labor member from June 1913 to June 1917 and died while in office.

Posts held

Becket held the following posts:

• President of the Law Institute 1908-1909
• Commissioner Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works 1904-1916
• Vice-president Swinburne Technical College
• Chairman Municipal Building Regulations conference
• Methodist Sunday School superintendent for 30 years

Other information

Beckett St and Beckett Park in Balwyn, Victoria

Balwyn, Victoria

Balwyn is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 10 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Boroondara...

are named after him. He is buried in Box Hill cemetery.