Preceded by New seat Nationality Australian | Succeeded by Gratton Wilson Spouse Lilian Eva Curle | |
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Born 10 February 1867 ( 1867-02-10 ) Education Geelong Grammar School, Melbourne Grammar School | ||
James Chester Manifold (10 February 1867 – 30 October 1918) was an Australian politician and philanthropist.
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Early life
Manifold attended Geelong Grammar School, and went to England with his family in 1881; however, the northern climate did not agree with his health, so the family returned. He subsequently attended Melbourne Church of England Grammar School, and, when he came into possession of a property, he used it mostly to rent for dairy farmers, to whom he later sold the land. He was a member of Hampden Shire Council in the 1890s, being its president twice. On 11 March 1891, he married Lilian Eva Curle.
Federal politics
Manifold was elected to the Australian House of Representatives as the inaugural member for Corangamite in 1901, representing the Protectionist Party. He retired in 1903 due to ill health, but was persuaded to oppose the sitting Labor member, future Prime Minister James Scullin, in 1913 for the Commonwealth Liberal Party. He defeated Scullin in the election of that year. He held the seat until his unexpected death of pneumonia at sea during a trip to North America on 30 October 1918; he was buried at sea. He was survived by a son and a daughter. A statue of Manifold by Nelson Illingworth was unveiled by Prime Minister Stanley Bruce at Camperdown, Victoria in 1921.
His son, Sir Thomas Chester Manifold, was a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1929-1935 representing the electoral district of Hampden for the Nationalist Party and later the United Australia Party.