34 Facts About Peter Lalor

Peter Fintan Lalor was an Irish-Australian rebel and, later, politician, who rose to fame for his leading role in the Eureka Rebellion, an event identified with the "birth of democracy" in Australia.

Patt Peter Lalor was the first Catholic MP from Queen's County since the anti-Catholic Test Acts of the 17th century.

Peter Lalor had 11 children: Joseph Lalor, James Fintan Lalor, Richard Lalor, Mary Lalor, Patrick Lalor, Thomas Lalor, Catherine Lalor, Margrett Ellen Lalor, Jerome Lalor, John Lalor and William A Lalor Sr.

The eldest brother was James Fintan Peter Lalor, who was later involved in the Young Ireland movement and the unsuccessful Young Irelander Rebellion of 1848.

Peter Lalor was educated at Carlow College and trained as a civil engineer at Trinity College.

Three of the Peter Lalor brothers migrated to America and fought on both sides of the Civil War.

Peter Lalor worked briefly on the construction of the Geelong to Melbourne railway, but resigned to take part in the Victorian Gold Rush.

Peter Lalor began mining in the Ovens diggings, then moved to the Eureka Lead at Ballarat where he befriended Duncan Gillies, who later became Premier of Victoria.

At the meeting, a committee was appointed, which included Peter Lalor, to raise money for the further prosecution of Bentley.

Peter Lalor was convicted and sentenced to three years working on the roads.

Peter Lalor led the miners' opposition against the incompetent and often brutal administration of the goldfields authorities, and was elected to lead the men in the armed uprising after the meeting on Bakery Hill.

Peter Lalor was seriously wounded in the left arm, resulting in its amputation.

Peter Lalor doubted her genuineness, and believing that she had gone to communicate with the police, he took to the bush again for shelter.

Peter Lalor was greatly weakened from loss of blood, and only his indomitable pluck kept him up.

Peter Lalor looked like a frail old man rather than a powerful young one, so greatly had pain and loss of blood during the 24 hours weakened him.

At the general election in September and October 1856, under the new, more democratic constitution, which featured near-universal white male suffrage, Peter Lalor was elected unopposed to the Legislative Assembly seat of North Grenville.

Historian Weston Bate wrote that the role of landowner and company director seemed to suit Peter Lalor more than that of rebel, and that he "disgraced himself in democratic eyes" by trying to use Chinese as strike-breakers at the Clunes mine, of which he was a director.

Peter Lalor held North Grenville until it was abolished in 1859, and never represented Ballarat again.

Peter Lalor held South Grant for over eleven years, until the general election in 1871.

Peter Lalor served as chairman of committees in the period from 1859 to 1868.

Peter Lalor married Alicia Dunne on 10 July 1855 in Geelong.

Annie Peter Lalor married Thomas Lempriere in 1882, but died three years later of pulmonary phthisis.

Joseph Peter Lalor became a medical doctor, marrying Agnes McCormick of Dublin, Ireland and leaving descendants.

Alicia Peter Lalor died on 17 May 1887 at the age of 55 years.

Peter Lalor died on Saturday, 9 February 1889 at age 62, four days after his birthday, at his son's home in Richmond, and was buried at the Melbourne General Cemetery.

The Melbourne suburb of Peter Lalor, Victoria, was named after him in 1945.

The suburb of Peter Lalor is not in the electorate, which is pronounced "LAW-luh".

The University of Ballarat honoured Peter Lalor by naming one of the two Halls of Residence at the Mt Helen campus after him.

The first film to have Peter Lalor appear in is supposed to be Eureka Stockade, but only a seven-minute fragment of it has survived.

In 1915, Peter Lalor was portrayed by Leslie Victor in the silent film The Loyal Rebel, which is considered lost.

Peter Lalor was played by Australian actor Bryan Brown in Eureka Stockade, a two-part television mini-series which aired on the Seven Network in 1984.

The most recent film in which Peter Lalor is portrayed was the Australian documentary Riot or Revolution: Eureka Stockade 1854, with Peter Lalor played by Andrew Larkins.

Since 1992, Peter Lalor has been depicted in the commemorative Son et lumiere "Blood Under the Southern Cross" at Sovereign Hill.

Peter Lalor's portrait is featured on two commemorative postage stamps, a 38c Irish stamp released on 3 May 2001 in the "Rebel Spirit, Irish Heritage of Australia" series, and a 2004 AUD2.45 Australian stamp commemorating the Eureka Stockade.