Richard Crouch

Richard Crouch
Crouch in 1929
Member of the Australian Parliament for Corio
In office 29 March 1901 – 13 April 1910
Preceded by	New seat
Succeeded by	Alfred Ozanne
Member of the Australian Parliament for Corangamite
In office 12 October 1929 – 19 December 1931
Preceded by	William Gibson
Succeeded by	William Gibson
Personal details
Born	(1868-06-19)19 June 1868 Ballarat East, Victoria
Died	7 April 1949(1949-04-07) (aged 80) Queenscliff, Victoria
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Protectionist (1901–09) Liberal (1909–10) Labor (1929–31)
Alma mater	University of Melbourne
Profession	Barrister and Solicitor
Religion	Congregationalist

Richard Crouch, Protectionist and CLP MP for Corio 1901-1910

Richard Armstrong Crouch (19 June 1868 – 7 April 1949) was an Australian politician.

Crouch was born on at Ballarat East, Victoria, son of George Crouch, miner, storekeeper and later a wealthy boot-retailer from Tottenham, London, and his wife Selina Durham, née Marks, from Aberdeen, Scotland.

Crouch was elected to Federal Parliament in 1901 with a majority of 1,130 votes, as a member of the Protectionist Party and Commonwealth Liberal Party for the electorate of Corio for nine years, serving under Alfred Deakin, and was at the time the youngest member of the lower house. Crouch was a supporter of Deakin, and gained recognition as a wit and a radical. He was outspoken on the delicate matter of lavish allowances for the Governor General of Australia. Crouch enthusiastically supported new trends in Australian defence policies; however he opposed conscription. He served for another two years as a member of the Labor Party for the electorate of Corangamite, whilst James Scullin was in power. Upon his defeat, he decided to forsake politics for philanthropy, travel, writing, and encouraging Australians to take a greater interest in their history.

He was also the donor of the first six busts at Prime Ministers Avenue, and bequeathed funds for maintaining the project.

Crouch remained unmarried during his lifetime and in his later years lived with his sister Gertrude at Point Lonsdale, Victoria in the house their father had built in 1882.

Crouch died aged 80 on 7 April 1949, leaving an estate valued at 43,490 pounds and was buried at Point Lonsdale.

References

• Australian Dictionary of Biography - Crouch, Richard Armstrong (1868 - 1949)