Backhouse, Benjamin, 1829 – 1904

Benjamin Backhouse (1829-1904), stonemason, architect and parliamentarian, was born in England where he trained under his father as a stonemason. He emigrated to Victoria in 1853 where he worked as a stonemason and later as an architect and surveyor. After returning to England in 1860 he arrived in Brisbane in 1861 where he worked as an architect before moving to Sydney in 1868.

Backhouse was elected an independent member of the NSW Legislative Council in 1895 and remained a member until his death in July 1904.