100 Heroes: Robert Herbert
The gay man who helped shape the nation that became Australia.
Robert Herbert became the first Premier of the newly formed Australian state of Queensland.
Early life
Born in England in 1831, Herbert came from a wealthy and well-connected family.
He was educated at Eton and Oxford, where he excelled in his studies.
After completing college, Herbert became a barrister in London.
Political career
When the settlement of Queensland in northern Australia was declared as a separate British colony, Sir George Bowen was appointed as the first governor of Queensland. Bowen took up his post in 1859 and brought Herbert with him to Queensland as his private secretary.
An election was held in 1860, resulting in Herbert being elected as the first Premier of Queensland. He was 28 at the time.
Herbert held the office of Premier until 1866.
After leaving office, Herbert returned to England where he continued to work in roles associated with Britains colonial settlements around the world.
Personal life
Although homosexuality was illegal in Britain and Australia at the time, it seems to have been widely known by his contemporaries that Herbert was a gay man.
His most significant relationship appears to have been with John Bramston.
Herbert and Bramston met while they were both studying at Oxford. They shared rooms at college, and also lived together when they moved to London.
When Herbert became Premier of Queensland, he appointed Bramston as his Attorney-General.
The two men lived together on a farm which they named Herston - a portmanteau of their surnames.
It's not exactly clear when or why the two men went their separate ways. Bramston married a woman in 1872, but continued to move in similar circles to Herbert so they don't seem to have been actively avoiding each other. Herbert never married.
Herbert died in 1905.
