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Was born in
Sutherlandshire, Scotland, on 7 January 1832, the son of Donald Munro and
his wife, Georgina. He was educated at a village school, went to Edinburgh
in 1848, and became a printer employed by Constable and Company. He
emigrated to Melbourne in 1858 and after working for some years as a
printer, in 1865 founded the Victorian Permanent Building Society of which
he was manager for 17 years. In 1874 he was elected a member of the
legislative assembly for North Melbourne, and held office from 7 August to
20 October 1875 as minister of public instruction in the first Berry
(q.v.) ministry. In 1877 he was returned for Carlton and declined office
in the second Berry ministry. In 1882 he founded the Federal Banking
Company and was managing director for three years. He was leader of the
opposition in 1886 when the Gillies (q.v.) ministry came into power, and
in November 1890 became premier and treasurer. In 1887 he had founded the
Real Estate Bank and had large interests in other companies. He was
reputed in the "boom" year 1888 to have been a millionaire. He resigned as
premier in February 1892 to become agent-general for Victoria in London
and his ministry was merged in the Shiels (q.v.) ministry. As a result of
the banking crisis in 1893 Munro was recalled to Melbourne. He found
himself financially ruined and retired from public life. He died on 25
February 1908. He married in December 1853, Jane Macdonald, and had a
family of four sons and three daughters.
Munro was an important
figure over a long period. He took a great interest in the temperance
movement and was president of the Victorian Alliance and the Melbourne
Total Abstinence Society. He was a commissioner for several exhibitions
and founded several financial companies, all of which came to failure
except the first, the Victorian Permanent Building Society. He was
discredited on this account, but was probably no worse than most other men
of the period who allowed themselves to be borne along on a wave of
optimism which eventually engulfed the whole community. He was a fluent
and vigorous speaker and an energetic politician. He represented Victoria
at the 1891 federal convention, but otherwise did not take a leading place
in the movement. |
