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Member for Mernda (Victoria) 1901-1913 |
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Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Robert Harper migrated with his family to Melbourne, Victoria in 1856. Harper worked for a roasting and milling company and by 1865 had established his own company which flourished and opened branches in a number of colonies. Harper became one of Melbourne’s leading merchants, and was a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly intermittently between 1878 and 1897.
At the first federal election in 1901, Harper was elected to the House of Representatives as the member for Mernda, Victoria. Harper believed that men were not equal and that enterprise and industry should be rewarded with special privileges and that “natural economic laws” should be allowed to operate without restriction. Nevertheless, he supported a protectionist trade policy in the first Parliament.
In 1909-10, Harper successfully defended himself in a bitter lawsuit brought by Rev. James Ronald, who claimed Harper had used improper language in Parliament. Harper retired from federal politics in 1913. A staunch conservative and an elder of the Presbyterian Church, Harper was renowned for his business acumen and integrity.
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