Alfred Deakin
Alfred Deakin , the Australian politician, was a leader of the movement for Australian federation and later the second Prime Minister of Australia. In the last quarter of the 19th century, Deakin was a major contributor to the establishment of liberal reforms in the colony of Victoria, including proworker industrial reforms. He also played a major part in establishing irrigation in Australia. It is likely that he could have been Premier of Victoria, but he chose to devote his energy to federation.
Deakin was born at 90 George Street, Fitzroy, Melbourne, and began his education at the age of four in a boarding school that was initially located at Kyneton, but later moved to the Melbourne suburb of South Yarra. In 1864 he became a day pupil at Melbourne Church of England Grammar School, but did not study seriously until his later school years, when he came under the influence of J. H. Thompson and the schools headmaster, John Edward Bromby, whose oratorical style Deakin admired and later partly adopted. In 1871 he graduated with good passes in history, algebra and Euclid and basic passes in English and Latin. He began evening classes in law at the University of Melbourne, while working as a schoolteacher and private tutor. He also spoke frequently at the University Debating Club founded by Charles Henry Pearson in 1874, read widely, dabbled in writing and became a lifelong spiritualist, holding the office of President of the Victorian Spiritualists Union.
Source: Wikipedia